Though not quite as dramatic or consequential as its later rounds, the NBA Playoffs’ opening series still delivers the good stuff. It’s where Luka Dončić earned a “double bang” and where Paul Pierce called game, not bank. We’ve seen best-of-7 classics and monumental upsets, but even the standard-issue stuff hits differently with postseason energy.
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This first Saturday has something of a March Madness feel to it, with four games stacked across national TV. It begins with a simmering Bucks-Pacers rivalry. Then we’ll go up in altitude for the star-laden Clippers and Nuggets, before cramming into midtown Manhattan for Pistons at Knicks. Not to be outdone, our Timberwolves-Lakers nightcap looks like a total banger. It’s Dončić versus Anthony Edwards, with more all-time playoff records within LeBron James’ majestic reach. Let’s get into it.
Viewing guide for Saturday
| Game | Tip-Off (ET) | TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bucks at Pacers |
1 p.m |
ESPN |
|
|
Clippers at Nuggets |
3:30 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
|
Pistons at Knicks |
6 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
|
Timberwolves at Lakers |
8:30 p.m. |
ABC |
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Milwaukee Bucks at Indiana Pacers
Series odds: Pacers -175, Bucks +145
The hosts quietly notched their first 50-win season in more than a decade, dating back to the Paul George-Roy Hibbert outfit. Better still, they did it despite a slow start (just 11-15 on Dec. 13). Bucket-getting was efficient and smooth in the care of Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers ended the regular season ninth in offensive rating and fourth in effective shooting. Seven Pacers averaged double-figure scoring.
The Deer were surprise NBA Cup champions in December and endured all-around inconsistency. Milwaukee comes in riding an eight-game winning streak, which came immediately after four straight Ls. Damian Lillard is just now returning to the fold after blood clotting in his calf and back. Khris Middleton was swapped for Kyle Kuzma. Bobby Portis was suspended for more than a quarter of the season. Through it all, Giannis Antetokounmpo remained steadily balling.
Michael Grady gets us started from Indianapolis on play-by-play, with new Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White in tow for commentary.
Animosities: There’s a lot going on here. The previous season, Antetokounmpo was bothered by Indiana’s bench when his career- and franchise-best 64-point game ball went missing. In the 2023 in-season tournament, Haliburton hit a chilly dagger before mimicking the “Dame Time” celebration. Patrick Beverley took last spring’s elimination out on an unsuspecting Pacers fan. Remember when Indy added James Johnson to basically just glare at Giannis?
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Head-to-head: The Bucks took three of four matchups this season, though they were all before Lillard’s health scare. Milwaukee’s only L was a 115-114 thriller at Gainbridge Fieldhouse last month. Antetokounmpo averaged an absurd line of 30/12.3/7.5 against the Pacers this year.
All-time playoff series: Indy claimed three first-round meetings (1999, 2000 and 2024).
Expert picks
Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
Series odds: Clippers -125, Nuggets +105
What a cool series here. Los Angeles takes pride in its complex, disciplined intensity on defense. Denver puts big numbers on the board through Nikola Jokić. It’s a strength-on-strength draw that fields a combined six All-NBA talents.
The Nuggets’ firing of Michael Malone was a surprising move. Well, the timing was. No matter: any and every possible basketball team has a chance with Jokić in the middle. He was just a few buckets away from averaging a 30-point triple-double, and did so on his highest 3-point volume ever.
Down in Inglewood, Tyronn Lue’s team won 17 of its final 20 tries. Kawhi Leonard’s averages before the All-Star break: 16.3 points per game across 26 minutes. After: 25 points per game in 35.9 minutes. Watch out.
Animosities: This Nuggets core completely shattered the first Kawhi-PG Clippers run. Last summer, LA traded Russell Westbrook to Utah for Kris Dunn, only for the former MVP point guard to settle with Denver.
Head-to-head: They split the series, 2-2, with three of those games in Denver’s den. The Clips won the first two (Oct. 26 and Dec. 1), and the Nuggs got the last two (Dec. 13 and Jan. 8). Jokić averaged 10.2 assists overall but fell to 5.7 against LA, with 15 turnovers to 17 dimes across 106 minutes.
All-time playoff series: The two sides are split here, too. The Elton Brand-Sam Cassell squad clipped Carmelo Anthony’s Nuggets in a 2006 first-rounder. Denver then stunned LA in the 2020 “bubble” proceedings, erasing a 3-1 series lead to make the conference finals. It was devastatingly awkward for the whole Clippers franchise, but especially for Doc Rivers.
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Expert picks
Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
Series odds: Knicks -425, Pistons +325
The Pistons are vying to win their first playoff series in 17 years. Knicks fans are a singular breed. Detroit has a top-five defense since the New Year, and New York finished fifth in offensive rating. What an interesting duel.
Jalen Brunson has returned from a sprained ankle and looks largely settled back in. This (regular) season, he shot 48.8 percent from the field and had 7.3 assists to 2.5 turnovers. Under Tom Thibodeau, all five Knicks starters averaged at least 35 minutes per game.
The visitors struggled with turnovers and fouls this season, and Cade Cunningham lacks a true No. 2 option to delegate to, but those are minor issues for a long-suffering franchise. J.B. Bickerstaff led a furious about-face that deserves to be celebrated, even if the Pistons are a year or so away from top-tier status.
Animosities: Cunningham could buy black and white cookies for all five boroughs and name each of his children after a Billy Joel song. He’ll still be treated like Trae Young or Reggie Miller if Detroit puts up a fight.
Head-to-head: Detroit won three of four. New York beat the brakes off its host in an early Nov. 1 draw, but the Pistons stole both games at The Garden as part of their incipient turnaround. They also launched a second-half comeback to win on April 10, though Josh Hart and OG Anunoby rested.
All-time playoff series: New York is up, 2-1, though these teams haven’t met here since 1992. The Knicks won 1984’s opening-round action in OT. The “Bad Boys” Pistons got their win in the 1990 conference semis, en route to back-to-back championships. Patrick Ewing and friends got revenge two years later, bouncing Detroit out of the first round in what was then a full five games.
Expert picks
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Lakers
Series odds: Lakers -175, Timberwolves +155
There was unease around the Karl-Anthony Towns blockbuster and the contentious sale of the organization, but Chris Finch and his Wolves tuned out and locked in for 49 wins, with top-10 ratings on both ends. Anthony Edwards has upped his output in each of his five pro seasons. Julius Randle now has an opportunity to slay dragons and shake ghosts with a new playoff team. Minnesota is 17-4 since Mar. 1, third only to the juggernaut OKC Thunder and Boston Celtics in that span.
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The Lake Show has suddenly become the betting favorite for this spring’s Finals. Dončić and James are god-tier hoopers, of course. Austin Reaves had a stealthy but swaggering 20-point-per-game effort in a team-high 73 starts. Los Angeles finished the regular season third in the league in free-throw attempts (making 78.5 percent of them), and its defense actually held its own without Anthony Davis up front. James, already history’s top playoff scorer, trails only Magic Johnson for career postseason assists. He’s also fourth in postseason rebounds, behind Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Tim Duncan.
Animosities: “I don’t give a damn. Whoever. We ready,” Edwards said when asked about playoff opponents. On Minnesota’s underdog odds, he said, “They don’t want the Timberwolves to win, I get it.” Luka Dončić hit a game-winner over Rudy Gobert in last year’s playoffs.
Head-to-head: Each team won twice in its home gym. Three of the four meetings took place before mid-December, though, when LA had AD and Minnesota was adjusting to the KAT trade. The Lakers earned a 9-point victory last time out on Feb. 27, headlined by LeBron’s line of 33/17/6.
All-time playoff series: Shaquille O’Neal’s and Kobe Bryant’s Lakers bested Kevin Garnett’s Timberwolves in consecutive 4-2 series, a first-rounder in 2003 and a conference finals spot in ‘04.
Expert picks
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo of LeBron James: Sam Hodde / Getty Images)
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