West playoffs: Clippers force Game 7

The 2024-25 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

On Wednesday, the No. 6-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off an upset by eliminating the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers in a Game 5 win. Earlier in the night, the No. 2 Houston Rockets staved off elimination by blowing out the No. 7 Golden State Warriors at home. The winner of the Rockets-Warriors series will take on the Timberwolves.

Thursday, the No. 5 LA Clippers forced a Game 7 with the No. 4 Denver Nuggets in front of their home crowd, behind 28 points from James Harden. They'll face off Saturday to see which team advances to play the No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder.

As the West playoffs continue, here's what matters most and what to watch for in all four series.

Jump to a series:
Thunder-Grizzlies | Rockets-Warriors
Lakers-Timberwolves | Nuggets-Clippers

More coverage:
East first-round takeaways
Schedules and results | Offseason guides

(4) Denver Nuggets tied with (5) LA Clippers 3-3

Game 6: Clippers 111, Nuggets 105

What we learned:

Everything is different for the Clippers when James Harden has space to run or -- in his self-proclaimed case -- be "the system." Harden bore the brunt of the criticism after his tepid 11 points on nine shots in Tuesday's Game 6 loss. His previous playoff failings made for easy fodder for the national discourse. But before the game, Clippers coach Tyronn Lue put Harden's struggles on himself and the game plan he drew up the previous two games, saying he had to do a better job of creating space for Harden to operate. He did just that in Game 6 by making sure Harden had the ball in his hands early, and doubled down in the second half when he swapped Nicolas Batum into the starting lineup for Kris Dunn, whom the Nuggets were often leaving on defense to double-team or blitz Harden's drives. It changed everything for Harden and LA's offense, which shot a blistering 51% Thursday night. With Batum on the court in the second half, LA was even better -- going 6-for-6 off passes from Batum.

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Westbrook blows a layup, Powell hits dagger 3

After Russell Westbrook blows a layup, the Clippers go downcourt and get a Norman Powell 3-pointer to go up nine late in the fourth.

Game 7: Clippers at Nuggets (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch:

What will the Nuggets do to counter the Clippers' move of swapping in Batum for Dunn? LA essentially traded offense for defense, and it worked out, with Batum and the rest of the Clippers defensively hindering Jamal Murray. The Nuggets will surely adjust before Game 7 to get Murray going again. He's too quick for Batum if he has space. The Nuggets also have to be kicking themselves for their 14 turnovers, which led to 23 points for LA. Denver outrebounded, scored more points in the paint and got more bench points than LA but lost the game because of sloppy plays, missed layups, and an inability to capitalize on the Batum-Murray matchup.

-- Ramona Shelburne

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves win series over
(3) Los Angeles Lakers 4-1

Game 5: Timberwolves 103, Lakers 96

What we learned:

Lakers coach JJ Redick decided to not start a center, and Rudy Gobert and the Timberwolves absolutely feasted on the interior to take the series in five games.

After totaling 14 points and 25 rebounds through the first four games, Gobert destroyed the Lakers with 27 points on 12-for-15 shooting and 24 rebounds in the clincher. He became the fifth player in the past 20 seasons to post a 25-20 line in a closeout game, joining Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki and Shaquille O'Neal.

The Lakers played with grit, blanketing Minnesota's shooters into a 7-for-47 (14.9%) night from 3 (including 0-for-11 for Anthony Edwards) -- marking the worst 3-point shooting percentage in a playoff game in NBA history (minimum 40 attempts).

Luka Doncic (back) and LeBron James (left knee) both logged 40 minutes to give the Lakers a chance, but the Wolves' bench production, outscoring L.A. 22-4, combined with the points-in-the-paint battle (56-40) proved too much.

Minnesota, which has won 21 of its past 26 games dating back to the last quarter of the regular season, will be a formidable challenge to either Golden State or Houston. And the Lakers, as if it wasn't obvious already, head into the offseason in dire need of a big man Redick will trust in a playoff game.

-- Dave McMenamin

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LeBron, Lakers eliminated by Gobert-inspired Wolves

Rudy Gobert's Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 103-96 to secure a 4-1 series win.

(7) Golden State Warriors lead the
(2) Houston Rockets 3-2

Game 5: Rockets 131, Warriors 116

What we learned:

The Rockets played like their season was on the brink, while the Warriors performed like they had a two-game cushion.

This game was over by the seven-minute mark in the second quarter when Houston led 54-24. Houston smothered the Warriors with Amen Thompson racking up five suffocating steals in the first half alone. By the 5:50 mark of the third quarter, Warriors coach Steve Kerr inserted his reserves like Pat Spencer, Moses Moody, Kevin Knox II, Gui Santos and Quinten Post down 93-64.

This felt a lot like the second round of the Warriors' 2022 title run when Golden State led 3-1 in the second round against a young Memphis Grizzlies team before being throttled in Game 5. But those veteran Warriors were not shaken as they closed that series out in Game 6 at home.

Golden State will now have to repeat history again, or face a do-or-die Game 7 at Houston. The Rockets have life but will have to find a way to win at Chase Center while overcoming the championship pedigree of Kerr, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, as well as Jimmy Butler III's history of stepping up in big playoff moments.

One positive for Golden State was that Curry, Green and Butler played no more than 25 minutes. And the team's reserves fought to the end, literally, as Spencer was ejected for head-butting Alperen Sengun, who was shoved by Trayce Jackson-Davis, late in the game as the Warriors got the deficit within 13 late.

-- Ohm Youngmisuk

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Pat Spencer's head-butt on Alperen Sengun sparks Warriors-Rockets scuffle

Pat Spencer is ejected after his head-butt on Alperen Sengun ignites a fracas between the Warriors and Rockets players.

Game 6: Houston at Golden State (Friday, TBD)

What to watch for:

Houston's three losses in this series have come in close games, while the victories have largely been blowouts. So, the Rockets' performance in Game 5 provided a boost in confidence headed into Friday's Game 6 at Chase Center. Houston knows it owns advantages in youth, physicality and athleticism and can flex them by playing with focus, consistency and attention to detail, as well as its trademark tenacity on defense.

Golden State's performance against the Rockets was reminiscent of its Game 5 blowout loss to Memphis in the 2022 conference semifinals. The Warriors eventually won the championship that season. But this time, they're facing a hungry Rockets team that has grown in confidence with each game, even the losses.

-- Michael C. Wright

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder win series over
(8) Memphis Grizzlies 4-0

Game 4: Thunder 117, Grizzlies 115

What we learned:

Overall top-seeded Oklahoma City made quick work of Memphis, sweeping the Grizzlies, who haven't won a playoff series since 2022 and didn't beat a Western Conference team with a winning record after January. Likely MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had his first efficient scoring performance of the series in the finale, finishing with 38 points on 13-of-24 shooting. With Ja Morant out, the Grizzlies couldn't handle the Thunder's tenacious defensive pressure, committing 22 turnovers that Oklahoma City converted into 32 points. Now, the Thunder will get some rest and await the winner of the Nuggets-Clippers series.

-- Tim MacMahon