NBA Playoff Preview: Second Round Matchups
The NBA playoff preview for the second round is set after a wild opening week that trimmed the field from 20 teams to eight. Four clubs were knocked out in the play-in tournament, eight more fell in the first round, and now every remaining team is eight wins from the NBA Finals.
Three teams survived Game 7s over the weekend — the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons — while the Oklahoma City Thunder advanced with a sweep. The second round now brings four series with very different storylines: a dominant Thunder team facing injury questions in Los Angeles, a young San Antonio Spurs group trying to handle a battle-tested Minnesota Timberwolves squad, and a pair of East matchups that could swing on depth, health and late-series poise.
Thunder-Lakers: Oklahoma City’s dominance meets Luka’s status
The Oklahoma City Thunder reached the second round by sweeping the Phoenix Suns, while the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets in six games. On paper, this looks like the most lopsided matchup in the playoff bracket. Oklahoma City took all four regular-season meetings, winning by an average of 125.5-96.25, and only one game was decided by fewer than 10 points.
The Thunder’s average margin of victory in those four games was 29.3 points, which ESPN Research says is the largest average margin any team has posted against the Lakers in a single season and the biggest average point differential in a regular-season series between teams that later met in the playoffs. The closest game was a 119-110 Oklahoma City road win on Feb. 9, when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic both sat out. The most one-sided was the Thunder’s 139-96 win on April 2, when Doncic and Austin Reaves left in the third quarter after the game was already out of reach.
Doncic remains the key variable. He has been out since April 2 with a Grade 2 hamstring strain, and multiple sources told ESPN that he even traveled to Spain for injections as part of the recovery process. Still, his ramp-up has not advanced much, he did not practice with the Lakers in their first prep session for Oklahoma City, and sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania that he is being handled on a week-to-week basis. The Lakers have until Game 4 at Crypto.com Arena on May 11 before the series shifts back home, which would be more than five weeks after the injury.
Los Angeles did manage to take a 3-1 lead over Houston without Doncic or Reaves, though Houston is not the same challenge as the defending champions. Reaves returned for Games 4 and 5 and, despite some rust, averaged 18.5 points and 4.0 rebounds while also delivering a key spinning layup in the closeout win. The bigger question now is whether the Lakers can stay alive long enough for Doncic to matter.
- Thunder swept the season series 4-0.
- Oklahoma City outscored Los Angeles by 66 points in 59 minutes with Doncic on the floor.
- Gilgeous-Alexander scored 83 points on 64.2% true shooting in three games against the Lakers.
One Western Conference scout summed up the matchup bluntly: the Lakers may be able to steal only one game. The size edge tilts heavily toward Oklahoma City, with Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein creating problems for Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes. The Thunder also have the perimeter defenders to bother Los Angeles, and the scout pointed out that LeBron James appeared to slow as the Rockets series went on. The biggest defensive issue remains simple: who guards Gilgeous-Alexander?
Spurs-Timberwolves: Minnesota’s injuries change the equation
The San Antonio Spurs advanced by beating the Portland Trail Blazers 4-1, while the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked out the Denver Nuggets in six games. Minnesota won the season series 2-1, although the first meeting came without Victor Wembanyama. The final two games were both tight, decided by one point and three points.
This second-round NBA playoff preview turns heavily on health. Minnesota enters without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo, and DiVincenzo is out for the rest of the postseason. Edwards is expected to miss the first two games, which gives San Antonio a real chance to strike early. Still, the Timberwolves have been a difficult opponent for the Spurs all season, and Minnesota has won five of the last six meetings.
Edwards was brilliant in the regular season against San Antonio, averaging 36.7 points across the three matchups, and the Timberwolves’ frontcourt size also caused problems. Julius Randle is a tough fit for Julian Champagnie at power forward, Jaden McDaniels brings length that can bother De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper, and Naz Reid should have an edge in minutes against Luke Kornet. On the other side, Rudy Gobert’s defensive work against Nikola Jokic in Round 1 made him a major storyline again, especially with Wembanyama across from him.
There is also a tactical wrinkle: Minnesota could use Gobert on Castle and dare the second-year guard to beat them as a shooter. That would be a sign of how much the Timberwolves are trying to protect the paint while still respecting San Antonio’s young backcourt.
Edwards’ return timeline is trending in the right direction. He completed two light workouts over the weekend and, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, could return by Game 3 or 4 in Minneapolis. Until then, Minnesota’s best path is to steal one game without him, similar to the way it closed out Denver in Game 6. That night, McDaniels scored 32 points and defended Jamal Murray into a 4-for-17 shooting performance. Against San Antonio, he will again be asked to carry a major scoring load while checking Fox and Castle.
- Spurs won the first-round series 4-1.
- Timberwolves beat the Nuggets 4-2.
- Minnesota has won five of the last six meetings with San Antonio.
One scout described Minnesota as the kind of playoff-tested team that can expose San Antonio’s inexperience. The concern for the Spurs is shooting, especially if Wembanyama is forced to shoulder too much of the offense. Even so, the scout still leaned toward San Antonio in the series, while acknowledging that Minnesota’s experience could make it uncomfortable.
Pistons-Cavaliers: Detroit tries to keep its edge
The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers both survived seven-game first-round series, with Detroit eliminating the Orlando Magic and Cleveland getting past the Toronto Raptors. Their regular-season series ended in a 2-2 split, which makes this East matchup feel more balanced than the records suggest.
Detroit’s first-round escape may have been the most dramatic turnaround of the postseason so far. The top seed was down 24 points in Game 6 with just 23 minutes left before producing an all-time defensive stand that held Orlando to a playoff-record 23 straight missed shots. That comeback helped the Pistons rediscover the form that made them a 60-win team in the first place.
Cade Cunningham was central to the rally, posting 45, 32 and 32 points in Detroit’s final three wins. Tobias Harris added 30 points in Game 7, and Jalen Duren delivered a 15-point, 15-rebound effort that looked much more like the All-Star-level production Detroit has expected from him all season. The Pistons’ defense, which had been one of the league’s best during the regular season, also returned to form by protecting the paint and controlling the interior.
For Cleveland, the challenge is whether Detroit’s surge is sustainable against a more complete opponent. The Cavaliers had to grind through Toronto in seven, and now they face a Pistons team that looks re-energized after nearly being eliminated. Cunningham’s ability to create against a disciplined defense, plus Detroit’s size and rim protection, should make this one of the more physical series in the second round.
Knicks-Sixers: two East contenders with plenty at stake
The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers also reached the second round after winning Game 7s, setting up another tightly contested Eastern Conference series. Both teams survived a difficult opening round, and both now enter a matchup where depth, shot creation and late-game execution should matter more than regular-season reputation.
Philadelphia’s ability to win a Game 7 adds confidence, while New York’s path through the first round showed the Knicks can handle pressure when possessions slow down. This series should reward whichever team can maintain defensive discipline and generate enough half-court offense when the game tightens in the fourth quarter.
As the second round begins, the NBA playoff preview is shaped by a few clear themes: Oklahoma City’s overwhelming regular-season edge, Minnesota’s injury uncertainty, Detroit’s comeback momentum and the East’s two Game 7 survivors trying to keep their seasons alive. With the playoff picture now down to eight teams, every series has a direct line to the conference finals and, eventually, the NBA Finals schedule.
