New York and Denver strike hard against playoff favorites in semifinals opener

NBA - New York surprised Boston at TD Garden and Denver defeated Oklahoma City at the buzzer to claim Game 1 of the conference semifinals. Jalen Brunson's Knicks and Aaron Gordon's Nuggets struck first against two of the best regular season teams.

By@Gabriel Pantel-Jouve

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New York and Denver strike hard against playoff favorites in semifinals opener

Photo Credit : NBA League pass

The NBA conference semifinals began this Sunday, and already the cards have been reshuffled. New York upset Boston at TD Garden in overtime, while Denver snatched victory in the final seconds from Oklahoma City. Two road victories for the Knicks and Nuggets, who start their series ideally against the favorites in each conference.

New York takes down defending champion Boston in thrilling finish

Nothing suggested such a scenario in the middle of the third quarter. Down by 20 points (75-55), the Knicks dug deep to overcome Boston on their home court, winning 108-105 in overtime. A first victory against the Celtics this season for the New York franchise, who had lost all four previous matchups.

Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby each scored 29 points, while Karl-Anthony Towns added 14 points and 13 rebounds. Mikal Bridges secured the victory for his team by intercepting the final inbound pass intended for Jaylen Brown.

MIKAL BRIDGES STEAL TO SEAL GAME 1 FOR THE KNICKS!!

20-POINT COMEBACK COMPLETE ✅ pic.twitter.com/us3Nq0Dykx

— NBA (@NBA) May 6, 2025

« We told ourselves to keep believing, to fight together, possession after possession, » explained Jalen Brunson, leader of this improbable comeback.

Boston collapsed from 3-point range, with a terrible 15 for 60 from distance, a playoff record for poor shooting. Despite 23 points each from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics let slip a victory that seemed secured. Jrue Holiday’s return (16 points) wasn’t enough, especially since Kristaps Porzingis, who was ill, only played 13 minutes.

Denver stuns Thunder with Aaron Gordon’s buzzer beater

The Nuggets also overcame a difficult situation. Down 14 points in the first half, they gradually came back to win at the buzzer in Oklahoma City (112-111), thanks to Aaron Gordon’s three-pointer with 2.8 seconds remaining.

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33 points) set the tone early, the Thunder lacked efficiency at the worst time. Despite excellent defensive play from Alex Caruso and a good collective stretch in the second quarter, the home team eventually collapsed. Nikola Jokic (42 points on 15/29 shooting, 22 rebounds and 6 assists in 42 minutes), frustrated but decisive in the end, found his range from distance to bring his team back before Gordon delivered the final blow.

With this 15-4 run to end the game, Denver records their second consecutive road victory in these playoffs. And hands OKC their first postseason loss.