Stephen Curry, Warriors Criticized by NBA Fans After Blowout Loss to Rockets in Game 5
Andrew Peters
Apr 30, 2025
The Houston Rockets aren't going away yet.
With a chance to end the series and advance to the second round, the Golden State Warriors were pummeled by the Rockets 131-116 on Wednesday. Golden State will now have to face Houston in a Game 6 rather than getting the additional rest it would have received with a win.
It was a poor performance all around for the Warriors. Stephen Curry led the Warriors in scoring but still finished with just 13 points on 4-of-12 from the field. No other starters were in double figures as Jimmy Butler had just eight and Draymond Green had seven.
While the Warriors starters didn't show up in the loss, the bench should get some credit for cutting a 27-point halftime deficit to as few as just 13 points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, they didn't have enough to complete the comeback.
After the loss, fans were disappointed to see Golden State fail to take care of business and end the series.
If the Warriors think the Rockets are such scrubs that they can just punt a game and easily win it in six, why not actually just go win the series now and get yourself some rest?
Rockets couldn’t have dreamed of a better 3 quarters… they have completely dominated the Warriors in every way. It’s been a group effort, everybody has been in on this thing… looks like we’re headed to Game 6 in San Francisco
The Warriors will look to bounce back in Game 6 after Wednesday's blundering. If the Rockets steal another win in an elimination game, it could be enough to turn the momentum towards Houston for Game 7.
Lakers' JJ Redick Storms Out of Presser on Video After Question About Substitutions
Scott Polacek
Apr 30, 2025
The Los Angeles Lakers' season will be on the line in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, and head coach JJ Redick was in no mood to talk about his substitution patterns during a pregame press conference.
Redick appeared to take offense to a question that basically asked him if he will lean on his assistant coaches when it comes to helping with substitutions and then promptly exited the press conference:
JJ Redick was not happy to essentially be asked if he will lean on his staff to help with substitutions tonight: pic.twitter.com/kfA1uAIag4
"Are you saying that because I'm inexperienced and that was an inexperienced decision that I made?" the first-year head coach asked when discussing the lack of substitutions in Game 4.
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"You think I don't talk to my assistants about substitutions every single time out? … That's a weird assumption."
It isn't surprising the topic came up, as ESPN's Dave McMenamin noted Redick became the first head coach to not make a single substitution in the second half of a playoff game since such data was tracked starting in 1998.
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LeBron James, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Dorian Finney-Smith played the entire second half, which was all the more notable when the Timberwolves outscored the Lakers 32-19 in the fourth quarter to escape with a three-point win.
Los Angeles was an ugly 5-of-18 shooting from the field in that fourth quarter, and James and Dončić each missed critical shots near the rim down the stretch.
Minnesota looked like the fresher team in the fourth quarter and might have the advantage once again if lingering fatigue proves to be an issue for the 40-year-old James and Dončić after they each played 46 minutes in the latest loss.
While Redick was upset with the line of questioning, it wouldn't be a surprise if he adjusted his strategy for Wednesday's Game 5.
Updated NBA Playoff Bracket 2025 Picture, Schedule as Lakers Eliminated, Rockets Win
Scott Polacek
Apr 30, 2025
The season was hanging in the balance for the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in the Western Conference on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Houston Rockets and third-seeded Los Angeles Lakers both needed to defend home-court advantage in Game 5 of their respective series to prevent a quick exit in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.
Houston's situation was a bit more understandable, as it is a young team battling a Golden State Warriors squad with a championship pedigree. The Lakers, on the other hand, have LeBron James and Luka Dončić but have struggled to create any momentum in their series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Here is a look at what transpired in the critical matchups.
Wednesday Scores
Game 5: Houston Rockets def. Golden State Warriors, 131-116
Game 5: Minnesota Timberwolves def. Los Angeles Lakers, 103-96
Western Conference
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies (OKC wins series 4-0)
Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers (DEN leads 3-2)
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors (GS leads 3-2)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (MIN wins series 4-1)
Eastern Conference
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Miami Heat (CLE wins series 4-0)
Indiana Pacers vs. Milwaukee Bucks (IND wins series 4-1)
New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons (NYK leads 3-2)
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Boston Celtics vs. Orlando Magic (BOS wins series 4-1)
Upcoming Playoff Schedule: Thursday, May 1
Game 6: New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons, 7:30 p.m. ET
Game 6: Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. ET
Wednesday Results
Houston made it clear from the start it wasn't going down without a fight.
It poured in 40 points in the first quarter alone on the way to a 27-point halftime lead as Fred VanVleet continued his torrid outside shooting. Dillon Brooks mixed in some early triples as well, and Golden State also struggled to find an answer for Alperen Şengün on the inside.
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The Rockets didn't just set the tone offensively.
Amen Thompson was a force of nature on the defensive side as he created turnovers and challenged outside shooters. The Warriors were never able to get into a rhythm until they were staring at a daunting deficit, and his defense was a primary driving force for those struggles.
The second half felt like a formality when the Warriors emptied their bench in the third quarter. Yet even that turned into a storyline, as head coach Steve Kerr never brought back Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Co. even when the subs cut into the lead during the fourth quarter.
Ultimately, Golden State was never able to truly threaten the Rockets in the closing stretch that also included a scuffle.
All five Houston starters scored in double figures with VanVleet (26 points), Brooks (24 points), Şengün (15 points, nine assists and nine rebounds) and Thompson (25 points, six rebounds, five steals and three blocks) all stuffing the stat sheet.
Curry (13 points) and Butler (eight points) failed to keep pace on the other side when they were in the contest, and the Warriors will try once again to close out the series when they return home for Game 6.
Unlike Golden State, Minnesota was able to take care of business and close out its series.
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It wasn't for a lack of fight from the Lakers, though, as Dončić labored through an apparent back injury that forced him to the locker room in the second quarter. Although he struggled to run or even move on the defensive end, he still managed 28 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a gutsy showing.
Luka went back to the locker room after this hard foul.
But it wasn't enough to overcome a stunning performance from Rudy Gobert.
The Timberwolves big man rescued his team from an abysmal shooting performance and finished with 27 points and 24 rebounds. Los Angeles had no interior defense to stop his easy looks, and his ability to keep possessions alive on the offensive glass also proved critical in crunch time.
Gobert's overall showing was all the more important because the visitors were an ugly 7-of-47 (14.9 percent) from three-point range. Typically, a shooting performance like that is a guaranteed loss in the NBA, but Minnesota had enough offense in crunch time.
Julius Randle started attacking the rim and mismatches on his way to 23 points and even took over the offense at times as Anthony Edwards (15 points and 0-of-11 shooting from deep) struggled.
It marked the end of the road for James, Dončić and Co., and the Timberwolves will now wait for the winner of the series between Houston and Golden State.
Tyrese Haliburton Talks Dad's Confrontation with Giannis, Says It Was 'Out of Line'
Scott Polacek
Apr 30, 2025
Wednesday should have been a day of celebration for Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton after he hit the series-winning shot to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday, but he instead was left to answer for the actions of his father, John.
John Haliburton ran onto the floor and started talking trash to Giannis Antetokounmpo in the aftermath of Indiana's win. It was part of a wild sequence of events that also included a scrum when players were shaking hands after the game.
During an appearance on Wednesday's episode of The Pat McAfee Show, Tyrese Haliburton said of his father (45-second mark), "His actions were out of line. I apologized to Giannis, he apologized to Giannis. … There's no excuse and no place for that. I think that he understands that. I think he just got caught up in the moment."
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It was a similar message to his postgame press conference Tuesday when he told reporters, "I don't think that my pops was in the right at all there."
“I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there.”
Hali says he’ll have a conversation with his dad about his confrontation with Giannis 🤝 pic.twitter.com/X19DPyLYl1
John Haliburton took to social media Tuesday and apologized to Antetokounmpo:
I sincerely apologize to Giannis, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Pacers organization for my actions following tonight's game. This was not a good reflection on our sport or my son and I will not make that mistake again.
He also spoke to Dustin Dopirak of the Indianapolis Star and said he "was in the moment" and realizes he "was wrong for going on the basketball court because I shouldn't have ever done that."
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Yet he also said, "I never swore at him. Absolutely never. I don't swear. Everybody who knows me knows that I don't swear. I can't stand it. It's on record that I say things to my son when he swears on the basketball court because kids are watching him. I don't do that. I don't believe in it."
For his part, Antetokounmpo addressed what he called the "unacceptable" behavior and explained how important humility in victory is to him during his own postgame press conference:
The moment overshadowed a thrilling finish as Indiana eliminated Milwaukee in the first round for the second consecutive season.
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Haliburton scored four points on the Pacers' final two possessions of regulation to force overtime and then helped spearhead a comeback in the last 40 seconds of the extra period after the Bucks took a 118-111 lead.
An Andrew Nembhard, and-1 from Haliburton and two turnovers by Gary Trent Jr. opened the door for the comeback, and the Pacers point guard hit the shot that proved to be the game- and series-winner.
Tyrese Haliburton's Dad John Denies Swearing at Giannis, Explains Postgame Video
Andrew Peters
Apr 30, 2025
After a heated exchange with Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo following the Indiana Pacers' overtime win to advance to the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday, Tyrese Haliburton's father, John, explained his side of the story.
While John took ownership for the altercation and said he "got caught up in the moment," he denied swearing at Antetokounmpo.
"I never swore at him," John said, per the Indianapolis Star's Dustin Dopirak. "Absolutely never. I don't swear. Everybody who knows me knows that I don't swear. I can't stand it. It's on record that I say things to my son when he swears on the basketball court because kids are watching him. I don't do that. I don't believe in it."
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After Tyrese hit a game-winning layup in the final seconds of Tuesday's matchup, John was one of the first people on the court and immediately approached Antetokounmpo, waving a flag and exchanging words with the star.
It led to a scuffle between the two teams, taking away from what should have been a celebratory moment for the Pacers.
Tyrese was quick to call out his father after the game.
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"I don't agree with what transpired there from him," Tyrese told reporters. "I think basketball is basketball and let's keep it on the court. I think that he just got excited, saw his son make a game-winner and came on the court. ... I don't think that my pops was in the right at all there and it's unfortunate what happened at the end there."
“I don’t think my pops was in the right at all there.”
Hali says he’ll have a conversation with his dad about his confrontation with Giannis 🤝 pic.twitter.com/X19DPyLYl1
Antetokounmpo gave a long-winded answer when asked for his side of the story, explaining why humility is so important to him and saying that he felt disrespected by "unacceptable" behavior.
The emotions from Tyrese's father and everyone else in the building are understandable, given the nature of the contest. The Pacers trailed by seven points in the final minute but miraculously came back and ultimately won with Tyrese's layup.
Tyrese will try to carry over the momentum of his clutch performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers. The date of the Game 1 hasn't been announced.
Jimmy Butler Trade Drama 'Certainly Had an Impact' on Heat Season, Erik Spoelstra Says
Andrew Peters
Apr 30, 2025
The Miami Heat's season is over after one of the most lopsided first-rounds in NBA history.
The 2024-25 Heat season will likely be remembered more for what happened off the court than on it.
In January, the face of the franchise, Jimmy Butler, upended the Heat's season when he requested a trade and later faced several suspensions for "conduct detrimental to the team."
With all the drama that came with the season, head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted that Butler's trade request and eventual trade played a part in the team's lack of success.
“It certainly had an impact,” Spoelstra said, per the Miami Herald's Anthony Chiang. “We are an organization that prides ourselves on not making any kind of excuses. Even if we managed it perfectly, there’s always second-guessing on what we could have done better just to right the ship. It was turbulent waters. But it’s not as if that would have moved the needle for us to be first in the conference. That’s unrealistic.”
The Heat were by no means a top contender in the East when Butler was traded, but without their star they struggled to win games. Miami's struggles were on full display in its first-round matchup with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Heat managed to play a competitive Game 2, but the other three games were blowouts, the worst being a 138-83 loss in Game 4 to end their season.
As Spoelstra said, Miami can't blame all of its problems on Butler, but with all the drama off the court, it was hard to imagine the Heat would be able to recover and make a deep playoff run.
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Giannis' Future Reportedly 'Might Be a Mystery' to Bucks amid NBA Trade Rumors
Scott Polacek
Apr 30, 2025
Giannis Antetokounmpo's future with the Milwaukee Bucks might be the biggest story of the upcoming NBA offseason, but how that story will unfold reportedly remains quite a "mystery" within the league and franchise.
ESPN's Brian Windhorst discussed the situation Wednesday and explained the lack of advanced speculation about the topic (10-minute mark).
"There has been zero speculation about Giannis and his future," Windhorst said. "He's worked very hard and so has his representation to shut down anything. He has been completely focused on the Bucks. So therefore this is basically a bit of a mystery. It might be a mystery within the organization a little bit. It's definitely a mystery for other teams out there. Whether he would want to get moved and who would potentially be on a list of interested teams.
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"Which means this is going to be one of the biggest things hanging over the NBA offseason. And other players, potentially even star players who might end up on the trade market might have to wait themselves to see how Giannis' situation plays out because teams are going to see him as the biggest fish."
On paper, Antetokounmpo is under contract with the Bucks through the 2026-27 campaign with a player option for 2027-28.
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However, it wouldn't be shocking if he wants to move on this offseason after the team lost in the first round for the third straight year. What's more, Damian Lillard's availability for next season is very much up in the air after he suffered a torn Achilles during the first-round loss to the Indiana Pacers.
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The Bucks may be looking at an uphill battle to compete for a championship next season without Lillard, and Antetokounmpo may want to go somewhere that gives him a more realistic chance to compete for a ring.
As for the team, trading the two-time MVP and nine-time All-Star would be the quickest way to accelerate any type of eventual rebuild it could be looking at during the years to come. Antetokounmpo would lead to a return package featuring a number of young players and draft picks in any trade, especially if much of the NBA is competing against each other in something of a bidding war.
That he is still just 30 years old and figures to remain among the best players in the league for the foreseeable future means any return package would be all the more enticing.
For now, though, it seems like the entire situation is shrouded in mystery despite how monumental it can be for the NBA's offseason.
NBA Announces Dates for 2025 2nd-Round Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket Matchups
Joseph Zucker
Apr 30, 2025
With the four-team field nearly set, the NBA announced Wednesday the dates for the two Eastern Conference semifinal series.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers will tip things off on May 4, and the series could extend to May 18 if it goes the full seven games. The Boston Celtics will play either the New York Knicks or Detroit Pistons starting on May 5, and they could keep going as late as May 19.
The NBA has announced the dates for the East 2nd round:
The Cleveland vs Indiana series will be played on May 4, 6, 9, 11, 13*, 15*, 18*.
The Boston vs NYK/DET series will be played on May 5, 7, 10, 12, 14*, 16*, 19*.
The Cavaliers dropped three of their four head-to-head meetings with the Pacers during the regular season. Granted, two of those defeats came after Cleveland had secured the top seed in the East. Stars Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley sat out both contests.
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In general, the Cavs didn't have a strong finish to the year. They went on a four-game losing streak in mid-March and lacked the sharpness they displayed earlier in the season as they inched toward a first-place finish.
By sweeping the Miami Heat, Cleveland is looking pretty formidable again. Only one of the four games was decided by fewer than 21 points, and the 55-point margin of victory in Game 4 was the fourth-biggest in postseason history.
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The Pacers figure to be big underdogs as they attempt to punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second straight year.
The Celtics had a harder time putting away the Orlando Magic. Orlando took Game 3, while Games 2 and 4 were decided by single digits.
The Celtics will be better off the rest of the playoffs for having played the Magic. They won't see a defense nearly this physical or good, unless they meet the Thunder in the Finals. This was a real test for Boston in the series, and they had the answers.
Boston will nonetheless be favored by many to advance regardless of whether it's the Knicks or Pistons.
Having ended a five-year playoff drought, Detroit is probably another season or two from being a serious contender with its young roster. New York, meanwhile, went 0-4 against the Celtics. In general, neither squad has been all that impressive.
Anything other than Cavs vs. Celtics in the conference finals will be a surprise.
