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The 2025 NBA Playoffs are in full swing, with the first round having each series with at least two games completed.
As franchises prepare for a three-game Friday slate, Thursday witnessed history as the Oklahoma City Thunder completed an improbable comeback over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers took a major series lead with a thumping of the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks took game three versus the Detroit Pistons.
What was perhaps most notable about Thursday’s slate of games, as far as Kentucky fans are concerned, was that each game featured a former Wildcat playing a major role in the outcome, further cementing UK’s reputation for putting stars into the league.
Oklahoma City 114 - 108 Memphis
Looking first at OKC, it’s no secret that the 2024-25 season has been a special one for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Pegged as the media favorite for league MVP, “SGA” has been a force to be reckoned with in the Sooner State and was once again on Thursday, leading his Thunder to a 29-point comeback over the Grizzlies, which suffered after former Murray State Racer Ja Morant was ruled out with a hip injury.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-leading 31 points in 40 minutes on the court. While noticeably inefficient from the field, shooting just 10-26, his eight assists also led all players on the night, helping guys like Jalen Williams (26), Chet Holmgren (24) and Alex Caruso (10) to contribute heavily as well.
“Both (Williams) and Chet, they’re really good NBA players,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “They’re the cream of the crop, we’ve seen it all season. That’s why we’re the team that we are. Tonight was just another night of them being themselves.”
SGA was not the only former Wildcat in this game, either, as his teammate, Cason Wallace, also saw 24 minutes on the floor against the Grizzlies.
New York Knicks 118 - 116 Detroit
Moving over to Detroit, the Knicks picked up a major win in a hyper-competitive series with the Pistons and none of it would’ve been possible had it not been for a strong showing from Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Just like Gilgeous-Alexander, “KAT” led all scorers with 31 points in the victory while also amassing eight rebounds in 41 minutes on the floor.
Since being traded from Minnesota, Towns has averaged 24.4 points a night for a Knicks squad that went 51-31 and will look to make an impact in the postseason in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.
While the Pistons have gained plenty of love for their turnaround this season following a terrible 2023-24 campaign, the Knicks have also done the work to re-establish themselves as a legitimate contender in recent seasons following years of disappointing basketball.
Four playoff appearances in five years mask what was a streak of seven years where the Knicks never finished better than ninth in the East, more often finding themselves around 12th and as low as 15th.
Now, having added Towns to a roster that lost in the conference semifinals last season, the Knicks hope to have a squad that can threaten the Bostons and Clevelands of the league.
“In transition, KAT is someone I’m definitely trying to look for and find while he’s flowing into the half court, where he can knock down shots trailing or able to attack,” Knicks star Josh Hart told The Athletic.
Denver 83 - 117 Los Angeles Clippers
Finally, the Denver Nuggets were run off the court by the Los Angeles Clippers, with the latter taking a 2-1 series lead in LA.
In this crushing defeat, however, a former Wildcat still found the spotlight as Denver’s Jamal Murray finished with 23 points, tying MVP-candidate Nikola Jokic as the game’s leading scorer.
Much has been made about the poor roster construction seen on display by the 2023 NBA Champions, so much so that both Head Coach Mike Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth were fired four games before the playoffs began.
Despite having a three-time NBA MVP in Jokic on the roster, Denver is flooded with talent that often struggles to even complement its star as the Nuggets struggle to remain a major threat in the Western Conference.
While a bit inconsistent at times, one name who was a part of that championship-winning roster and has been known to drop star-making performances has been Murray.
On a night that saw the Nuggets embarrassed as fellow stars like Russell Westbrook (3 points, 9 minutes), Michael Porter Jr. (7 points, 35 minutes) and Christian Braun (9 points, 38 minutes) unable to make anything happen, Murray was a lone bright spot for Jokic to rely on, shooting better than 50% from the field.
It’s going to be tough for the Nuggets to regroup following a brutal loss with another game in LA, but Murray remained confident despite the setback.
“Our mindset on Saturday is that we have to come out and go for it,” he told The Athletic. “We have to set the tone, and we have to play the way we want to play, and not the way they want us to play. We have to try and learn from this game and not dwell on it.”
Friday Night Games
With Thursday’s games in the past, Friday also promises three more high-profile NBA games as the Boston Celtics face the Orlando Magic, the Indianapolis Pacers face the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers duel the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Boston-Orlando won’t feature any former Wildcats, both other games will.
First, the Pacers, holding onto a 2-0 series lead, employ Isaiah Jackson, though he suffered a season-ending injury back in November.
In terms of Cats that may actually be on the floor, the Milwaukee Bucks have been developing Chris Livingston, a former teammate of OKC’s Wallace, who checked into game one of the series before receiving a DNP-Coach’s Decision for game two.
As for Los Angeles and Minnesota, Jarred Vanderbilt has been a consistent bench piece for the Lakers and their best UK representative since trading Anthony Davis to Dallas. Vanderbilt played in both the first two games of the series, which is tied 1-1.
Finally, for Minnesota, the Timberwolves have two former Wildcats on their roster.
By far the most productive has been Julius Randle, acquired in the trade for KAT, who led the Wolves with 27 points in game two, beating out star Anthony Edwards, and dropped 16 in game one.
Minnesota also has rookie Rob Dillingham, who made headlines for unveiling his new logo, but hasn’t gotten a crack at the Wolves’ playoff roster during his first season due to ankle issues. Dillingham was once again ruled out for Friday’s contest.
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As franchises prepare for a three-game Friday slate, Thursday witnessed history as the Oklahoma City Thunder completed an improbable comeback over the Memphis Grizzlies, the Los Angeles Clippers took a major series lead with a thumping of the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks took game three versus the Detroit Pistons.
What was perhaps most notable about Thursday’s slate of games, as far as Kentucky fans are concerned, was that each game featured a former Wildcat playing a major role in the outcome, further cementing UK’s reputation for putting stars into the league.
Oklahoma City 114 - 108 Memphis
Looking first at OKC, it’s no secret that the 2024-25 season has been a special one for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Pegged as the media favorite for league MVP, “SGA” has been a force to be reckoned with in the Sooner State and was once again on Thursday, leading his Thunder to a 29-point comeback over the Grizzlies, which suffered after former Murray State Racer Ja Morant was ruled out with a hip injury.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with a game-leading 31 points in 40 minutes on the court. While noticeably inefficient from the field, shooting just 10-26, his eight assists also led all players on the night, helping guys like Jalen Williams (26), Chet Holmgren (24) and Alex Caruso (10) to contribute heavily as well.
“Both (Williams) and Chet, they’re really good NBA players,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after the game. “They’re the cream of the crop, we’ve seen it all season. That’s why we’re the team that we are. Tonight was just another night of them being themselves.”
SGA was not the only former Wildcat in this game, either, as his teammate, Cason Wallace, also saw 24 minutes on the floor against the Grizzlies.
New York Knicks 118 - 116 Detroit
Moving over to Detroit, the Knicks picked up a major win in a hyper-competitive series with the Pistons and none of it would’ve been possible had it not been for a strong showing from Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns.
Just like Gilgeous-Alexander, “KAT” led all scorers with 31 points in the victory while also amassing eight rebounds in 41 minutes on the floor.
Since being traded from Minnesota, Towns has averaged 24.4 points a night for a Knicks squad that went 51-31 and will look to make an impact in the postseason in a top-heavy Eastern Conference.
While the Pistons have gained plenty of love for their turnaround this season following a terrible 2023-24 campaign, the Knicks have also done the work to re-establish themselves as a legitimate contender in recent seasons following years of disappointing basketball.
Four playoff appearances in five years mask what was a streak of seven years where the Knicks never finished better than ninth in the East, more often finding themselves around 12th and as low as 15th.
Now, having added Towns to a roster that lost in the conference semifinals last season, the Knicks hope to have a squad that can threaten the Bostons and Clevelands of the league.
“In transition, KAT is someone I’m definitely trying to look for and find while he’s flowing into the half court, where he can knock down shots trailing or able to attack,” Knicks star Josh Hart told The Athletic.
Denver 83 - 117 Los Angeles Clippers
Finally, the Denver Nuggets were run off the court by the Los Angeles Clippers, with the latter taking a 2-1 series lead in LA.
In this crushing defeat, however, a former Wildcat still found the spotlight as Denver’s Jamal Murray finished with 23 points, tying MVP-candidate Nikola Jokic as the game’s leading scorer.
Much has been made about the poor roster construction seen on display by the 2023 NBA Champions, so much so that both Head Coach Mike Malone and General Manager Calvin Booth were fired four games before the playoffs began.
Despite having a three-time NBA MVP in Jokic on the roster, Denver is flooded with talent that often struggles to even complement its star as the Nuggets struggle to remain a major threat in the Western Conference.
While a bit inconsistent at times, one name who was a part of that championship-winning roster and has been known to drop star-making performances has been Murray.
On a night that saw the Nuggets embarrassed as fellow stars like Russell Westbrook (3 points, 9 minutes), Michael Porter Jr. (7 points, 35 minutes) and Christian Braun (9 points, 38 minutes) unable to make anything happen, Murray was a lone bright spot for Jokic to rely on, shooting better than 50% from the field.
It’s going to be tough for the Nuggets to regroup following a brutal loss with another game in LA, but Murray remained confident despite the setback.
“Our mindset on Saturday is that we have to come out and go for it,” he told The Athletic. “We have to set the tone, and we have to play the way we want to play, and not the way they want us to play. We have to try and learn from this game and not dwell on it.”
Friday Night Games
With Thursday’s games in the past, Friday also promises three more high-profile NBA games as the Boston Celtics face the Orlando Magic, the Indianapolis Pacers face the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers duel the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Boston-Orlando won’t feature any former Wildcats, both other games will.
First, the Pacers, holding onto a 2-0 series lead, employ Isaiah Jackson, though he suffered a season-ending injury back in November.
In terms of Cats that may actually be on the floor, the Milwaukee Bucks have been developing Chris Livingston, a former teammate of OKC’s Wallace, who checked into game one of the series before receiving a DNP-Coach’s Decision for game two.
As for Los Angeles and Minnesota, Jarred Vanderbilt has been a consistent bench piece for the Lakers and their best UK representative since trading Anthony Davis to Dallas. Vanderbilt played in both the first two games of the series, which is tied 1-1.
Finally, for Minnesota, the Timberwolves have two former Wildcats on their roster.
By far the most productive has been Julius Randle, acquired in the trade for KAT, who led the Wolves with 27 points in game two, beating out star Anthony Edwards, and dropped 16 in game one.
Minnesota also has rookie Rob Dillingham, who made headlines for unveiling his new logo, but hasn’t gotten a crack at the Wolves’ playoff roster during his first season due to ankle issues. Dillingham was once again ruled out for Friday’s contest.
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