The NBA second round opens Sunday May 3 after a first round that produced two seven game series and one sweep. Cleveland Cavaliers face New York Knicks in a 1 versus 4 matchup that begins Sunday at 1pm ET on ABC. Oklahoma City Thunder face Denver Nuggets in a true 1 versus 5 matchup that begins Sunday at 3:30pm ET. Boston Celtics face Indiana Pacers in a 2 versus 3 matchup that opens Monday May 4 at 7pm on TNT. Los Angeles Lakers face Houston Rockets in a 2 versus 6 matchup that opens Monday at 10pm on TNT. The bracket finally serves up the matchups fans have circled since the All Star break.
Cleveland enters second round play having dispatched Toronto in five games. Donovan Mitchell averaged 31.4 points and 5.8 assists in the first round on 52 percent shooting. Evan Mobley posted a triple double in Game 4. The team finished the regular season at 68 wins, the most in franchise history. The lineup of Garland, Mitchell, Strus, Mobley, and Allen finished the regular season with a plus 14.2 net rating, second only to Boston for any combination with at least 600 minutes. The bench depth concern lingers given the Allen Mobley double big alignment.
New York pulled the upset of the first round, eliminating second seeded Milwaukee in six games. Jalen Brunson averaged 32.7 points and shot 47 percent from three. Karl Anthony Towns added 24.1 points and 12.4 rebounds. The Knicks defense held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 36 percent shooting in the four wins. Coach Tom Thibodeau staggered Brunson and Towns minutes to 38 and 36 respectively. Mikal Bridges shot 41 percent from three on volume in the Milwaukee series, his highest playoff output since the 2023 first round with Brooklyn.
Oklahoma City finished the regular season at 67 wins behind Shai Gilgeous Alexander winning his second consecutive MVP, the announcement coming officially May 12. The Thunder swept Memphis in four games, with Gilgeous Alexander averaging 33.4 points on 56 percent shooting. Chet Holmgren returned in March from a hip injury that cost him 41 games. Jalen Williams finished sixth in MVP voting. The team is plus 18.4 in net rating in the playoffs and the only series where the team trailed for more than two minutes was Game 3.
Denver advanced past Phoenix in seven games behind Nikola Jokic averaging 28.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 11.7 assists with three triple doubles in the series. Jamal Murray returned from a calf strain in Game 4 and posted 36 in Game 7. Aaron Gordon shot 14 of 23 from three in the series. The Nuggets bench averaged 24.7 minutes per game, the highest first round bench load in franchise history under Coach Michael Malone. Russell Westbrook started Games 6 and 7 in place of Christian Braun who left Game 5 with an ankle sprain.
Boston is healthy after an opening round in which the team rested several starters by Game 3. Jayson Tatum averaged 26.4 points and 9.2 rebounds. Jaylen Brown shot 47 percent from three. Kristaps Porzingis returned from a calf injury in Game 4 and finished the series with two double digit games. The Celtics depth advantage shows in Hauser at 39 percent and Sam Hauser at 41 percent on three pointers. Coach Joe Mazzulla switched Holiday onto Pascal Siakam in March games against Indiana and limited him to 38 percent shooting.
Indiana surprised the field by eliminating Miami Heat in six games. Tyrese Haliburton averaged 25.7 points and 11.2 assists. Pascal Siakam returned from a knee soreness layoff in Game 3 and immediately produced 32 in Game 4. Andrew Nembhard shot 47 percent from the field, mostly off pull up jumpers. The Pacers ranked first in the league in pace at 102.7 possessions per 48 minutes. Boston finished 27th at 96.4. The series will turn on whether Indiana can speed Boston up or whether Boston enforces half court rhythm.
Los Angeles handled Minnesota in five games behind LeBron James averaging 28.2 points and 8.4 assists at age 41. Luka Doncic posted three triple doubles. Anthony Davis averaged 24 and 12. The Lakers shot 38 percent from three as a team in the series, the highest playoff three point percentage in franchise history. JJ Redick finished the regular season as Coach of the Year runner up. Houston advanced past Los Angeles Clippers in seven games. Alperen Sengun averaged 24.7 points and Jalen Green added 22.4. The Lakers and Rockets did not meet in the regular season after February 18.
The full conference final picture sits with these eight teams. Adam Silver speaking at the All Star Game predicted three Game 7s in the conference finals. The bracket as drawn could deliver. Sunday at 1pm starts a five week stretch where every game has weight. The 2026 NBA Finals tip off June 12.