Four teams have finalized, with fighting for one place in the finals in the finals of the 2025 NBA conference.

Number 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder Western conference took a 2-0 lead in final against sixth seed Minnesota timbervols Before flying in game 3 at the target center. But Thunder bounced back to win Game 4 in the back-and-forward battle. They go back to Oklahoma for Game 5 and see to close the series with a 3–1 lead.

East, number 4 seeds Indiana Pacers Take a 2-0 lead against 3-seed new York Knicks At Madison Square Garden. But Nicks held rallies on Passion Home Court in Game 3 after an increase in the fourth quarter. Carl-Athony Town,

As these elite teams have to face, our NBA inner sources break their biggest techway with every matchup and what to see in both Shodowns.

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Pacers-nix , Timbervols

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Schedules and results , Offsin guide

Western conference

Game 4: Thunder 128, Timbervols 126

The biggest takeaways for timberwells:

The formula that the valves are required to give to give a chance was clear from this point in the series: limit the turnover and create open shots. Minnesota managed to do one of the two in the loss of 128–126 on Monday. The wolves did 22 turnover, causing 22 points for Oklahoma City – with their leaders, Anthony edwards (5) And Julius Randle (5), being the main criminal. As a result, Thunder took 11 more shots compared to wolves in a game fixed from an occupation.

Minimized incredible contribution Nikkel Alexander-Wocker (9 -for -15 shooting 23 points, 3 to 5 -for -8), Jayden McDineeles (22 points on 9 -for -15, 3 to 3 -for -6) and Donte Divinkezo (21 points on 7 -for -11, 3 to 5 -for -8).

The Volves shot 18 -for -41 from deep, but Edwards and Randals did not help for the reason for 3 to 1 -for -10 shooting.

Credit Minnesota’s overall attempt-Adwords attacked the box-one defense of Thunder, as flumoxing, and Randals made sufficient engagement to check Minnesota’s final-khai inbound pass. And the bench of Volves was historically good, as it became the first entity as the finals of the conference were started to score 60 bench points in consecutive games in the final of the conference after the beginning in 1970-71.

However, there was a difference between the two-point final margin 2–2 series and 3–1 holes, finding the wolves themselves to return to Oklahoma City. – Dave McMenamin

The biggest takeaways for thunder:

The 2022 lottery accelerated the climb of the thunder on the contenders ranks. Player from that draft – number 2 pick Chet holmagrain And number 12 Jalen Williams – Played a large role in victory, which placed Oklahoma City on the verge of the presence of a final.

Williams scored 14 out of 34 in the fourth quarter. The final frame of Holmagren had nine out of 21 points.

One night when MVP Shay Gilgius-Alexander (40 points, 13 -to -30 shooting) was a volume scorer, other stars of Thunder burnt the scoreboard efficiently. Williams and Holmagren combined to go from the floor to 22–38, including 8 -12 from the 3 -point range.

This was a great aggressive performance at one important time for two of the two best young two-way talents of the league. – Tim McMahon

Game 4: Broke on timbervols (On Wednesday, 8:30 pm ET, ESPN,

what to watch:

The first task for Timberwells is to maintain confidence for a win -win game to return to Oklahoma City. Thunder tried his best to crush it in Game 4, challenging every Minnesota under the stretch. But we saw the Timberwells rally in the same situation last year, which was returning from three consecutive consecutives. Denver Nagets The game wins to take 6 and 7, later on the road.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is in a position. A game far from the final was franchise in 2016, when Thunder also took a 3–1 series lead but saw Golden State Warriors Rally to knock them out. Loan closout opportunity at Oklahoma City’s house was famous for game 6, Kel ThompsonHistorical 11 3-Poratories.

It is worth seeing whether Minnesota coach Chris Finch has changed the lineup which has started all 14 playoff games and all but two dating back on March 7. Reserved Alexander-Wocker and Divineszo have ended Monday’s game at the beginning. Mike Conlay And randers are giving more shooting and defensive versatility to Timberwells.

After scoring 24 points on 9–15 shooting, the randers felt like an overraction while benching two game, but it is more realistic for the Conlay to exchange Alexander-Wocker. Conlay is not an aggressive threat in this series, a total of 22 points on 7 -30 shooting, although they remain a plus for the fixed -handed playmaking Minnesota. Timberwells has excluded the thunder with Conlay on the floor in all four matches, including Plus -2 in 19 minutes in Game 4. – Kevin Pelton

Eastern Conference

Game 3: 106, pacers 100

For three quarters on Sunday night, both Carl-Athony Town Personally and collectively lost completely lost. One of the best scoring Bigs in the league, the towns had only four points and were rarely included. New York was already 2–0 below and hanging with a thread with its season, rooted for most competition and implicated with 10 points in the fourth.

Then, from anywhere, the cities worked with the 20 fourth quarter points-including 14 in four minutes-to help Nix to escape with a win and also gave New York a chance to the series on Tuesday night.

This happened only because the towns-the star The Nike acquired on the eve of the training camp, the local child had an all-NBA season-the same moment was given the same kind of moment the way a player with a player expects in such a situation.

There was a lot of pressure on the cities coming in this game. His defensive conflicts played an important role in New York in New York losing game on Friday night – and choosing to go to coach Tom Thibodo Michel Robinson In the initial lineup instead Josh heart To put another defensive big with him.

For most of the game 3, it looked like cities and Niches were going to be just a punchline. Instead, a fourth quarter for age became the latest moment in one of the most stored rivals of NBA, and it keeps NBA final dreams alive in New York. – Tim Bontemps

The biggest takeaways for nix:

All this was taken that Nix needed a return to another 20-point to come back to the series. All jokes on one side, it was probably a completely victory of the New York season which was at stake.

Even with the incredible CAT’s incredible fourth quarter run, there was no guarantee Jalan Brunson In the final period, after sitting with five dishonesty by a mark of 1:37, the game will come through the clutch with a winning bucket. Many players will not maintain enough rhythm to hit such a difficult shot at that time.

Suddenly, after retreating from 20 in Nux – Game 3 – you can spin the story to some extent. His strategy to change the initial lineup left him in a better place in a quarter in the first two matches of the series. Thibodo incorporated more players from his bench, perhaps giving them more options for the remaining series. Whatever confidence issues, after two games – should disappear after two sports or otherwise – a stellar fourth that saved the New York season. – Chris Herring

The biggest takeaways for pacers:

After pacers “smoked” – to quote coach Rick Carlisley before Sunday’s Game 3 – Cleavland cavelers After winning the first two matches on the road in the semi -finals of the conference, the question was whether Indiana would perform better with giving a chance to exclude this series against her long rivals on Sunday night.

For most of the game, Pesters did it. Despite not shooting the ball well, they largely close cities and Brunson, and most of the Indiana competition leads double digits to the middle part. But Paers stole Game 1 in New York, it could only feel that Indiana allows the Nax to return the favor.

Nix had no business. And if they were not there, the pacers could start preparing for the NBA final. Instead, Nix is ​​now just 48 minutes away from tying the series and will have an incredible atmosphere at the Madison Square Garden for Game 5.

Second thing to see: Indiana forward Aeron nemithAn important player in this series was turned to his right ankle in the third quarter and did not look great after returning to the fourth. The game will be an important story to see her position and dynamics, as she moves forward every other day. – Tim Bontemps

Game 4: Nums in Pacors (Tuesday, 8 pm ET, TNT,

what to watch:

The city is entitled to a ton of credit for its fourth quarter burst. But Nux won the game 3 due to its defense, which took 138 in Game 1 (125 in regulation) and 114 in Game 2 to 100 points to 100 points.

With the opportunity to take a commanding 3–0 series lead, Pacers faced their worst shooting game of playoffs, with their lowest 3-point, lowest effort and lowest percentage. Entering on Sunday, Pacers was the hottest team in the playoffs, 41% of their 3; For reference, no one was in response to 36%, between at least one round winning teams. But in Game 3, Indiana shot just 5 -for -25 from the distance.

How much credit for that change is the credit for the protection vs. Fluukish single-game luck, which wins the game 4. Indiana probably will not re-create only 20% of its 3-but only 25 attempts are a win for New York, which forced Indiana to take more than half of her shots from a low skilled midrange.

At the other end, a key for game 4 is how Nemith’s ankle is cured after its midge sprain. After the second half seated for a long time, returned to Nosith – and the crunch was ineffective in time. But if they are compromised by moving forward, Indiana can struggle to include Brunson.

Nemith is not just effective from the perimeter, as he performed for great pomp in India’s game 1 return. He is also the best option of pacers to protect Brunson. Through the first two matches of the conference final, Nax’s leading scorer had 48% effective field round mark, when Nemith was his primary defender, according to geniusic tracking, against vs 63% Ben Shepard And against 73% Andrew Nebhard,

Given, Brunson had his worst game in the weeks on Sunday, even he went against the non-Shadowali guards on a large scale. But every other Nax-Picker playoff games are dating back in the previous spring shows that other options of Indiana cannot live with Brunson as well as Nemith Can. – Zach Kram