Saturday's NBA Games: Cavaliers-Heat, Thunder-Grizzlies,
Oklahoma City has a possibility to secure its area in Round 2. Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers can get to the doorstep of the 2nd round. And the Houston-Golden State winner is going to have control of their matchup.
Those are the headlines going into a quadruple-header of NBA championship game on Saturday: Oklahoma City can sweep its series with a win at Memphis, Cleveland can take a 3-0 lead over Miami, the Clippers will go for a 3-1 edge when they host Denver and the nightcap is a Rockets-Warriors match in San Francisco with those groups tied at a game apiece.
And there are some injury worries, especially for Memphis and Golden State. Grizzlies safeguard Ja Morant took a bad fall that knocked him out of Game 3 versus Oklahoma City with a bruised hip - and assisted add to the Thunder rallying from a 29-point deficit - while Warriors forward Jimmy Butler also is dealing with the aftereffects of a fall that knocked him out of Game 2 in Houston.
"I never want to see any person get hurt. I hope he's OK," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault stated of Morant. "You want everybody to be at complete strength. He's an excellent rival. He was playing fantastic. Obviously, that had something to do with the video game also. It 'd be wrong of me not to acknowledge that."
The Thunder, because relocating to Oklahoma City, were 0-95 in video games where they routed by a minimum of 27 points - up until Thursday.
"Never stunned. Always impressed," Daigneault said. "They simply feel an amazing responsibility to one another."
Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., right, attempts to get a loose ball ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) in the second half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 1 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Cavaliers lead, 2-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Cavaliers by 6.5.
What to Know: Miami did a great deal of things right in Game 2 - groups in championship game were 76-0 all-time when scoring a minimum of 112 points, making 16 threes, shooting 50% or much better from the field and holding their opponent to under 50% shooting. The Heat did all that and lost Game 2 anyway, simply since of Cleveland ´ s barrage of 3-pointers and Donovan Mitchell ´ s ability to make substantial plays down the stretch to fend off a Miami run. The Heat say Game 3 is a must-win, so anticipate a huge push to open the video game. It ´ ll be a great test for Cleveland, which was excellent on the roadway all year, to see how it handles a playoff roadway atmosphere.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Thunder lead, 3-0.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Thunder by 14.5.
What to Know: Oklahoma City will have a chance to be the first string to reach Round 2 of the playoffs, plus can round off a first-round sweep for the 2nd successive year after ousting New Orleans 4-0 last season. The 14.5-point spread, presuming it does not move before game time, would be the largest according to BetMGM Sportsbook for any road team in a championship game over the last years. (Excluding bubble games, the most significant road favorites in the postseason given that 2012 were San Antonio at Memphis in 2016 and Milwaukee at Detroit in 2019. Both were 12.5-point favorites and both covered). The difficulty for Memphis will be how to fight back after losing a 29-point lead in Game 3.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 6 p.m. EDT (TNT)
Series: Clippers lead, 2-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Clippers by 5.5.
What to Know: The Clippers routed 26-19 after 9 minutes of Game 1 - and outscored the Nuggets 98-57 the rest of the method. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had 37 of those last 57 points for Denver while their teammates combined to shoot 7-for-37 and score only 20 points in those 39 minutes. That is all an obvious credit to the Clippers' defense, which has actually been an ignored story all season. Another increase for the Clippers out of that video game was how Kawhi Leonard didn't need to log big minutes; he played just 34. Denver has to get some shooting entering Game 4, after getting outscored 54-21 on 3-pointers in Game 3.
When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)
Series: Tied, 1-1.
BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 2.5.
What to Know: Golden State forward Jimmy Butler's injury status is the big concern going into Game 3. And if he plays, can he be reliable? The Warriors still have the upper hand in the series after getting a split of Games 1 and 2 in Houston and now come home to Chase Center - where they are 16-4 in playoff and play-in video games. The Rockets are only 2-8 because structure, the third-worst record amongst Western Conference groups, ahead of only Utah (2-9) and Portland (1-9). Houston has to love what it has actually done defensively up until now in the series, holding the Warriors to 95 and 94 points in the first 2 matches. That's a clear pattern, with the Warriors being held under 100 points in five of their last 6 games against the Rockets. The combined numbers from those video games: Rockets 582, Warriors 579, and each team going 3-3.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) deals with the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) in the second half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gestures after a 3 point basket in the very first half in Game 2 of an NBA first-round playoff series versus the Miami Heat, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) battles in the second half in Game 2 of an NBA first-round playoff series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, defend a loose ball with Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet, left, and Rockets center Steven Adams throughout the second half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series versus the Houston Rockets in Houston, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)
Los Angeles Clippers guard Patty Mills, left, and Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett reach for a loose ball throughout the 2nd half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Fans taunt the Denver Nuggets from "The Wall" throughout the 2nd half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)