Western Conference playoffs: Rockets force Game 6; will the Lakers follow?

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. 2 seed Houston Rockets staved off elimination by blowing out the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors at home. The No. 3 seed Los Angeles Lakers will also aim to stay alive as they face a must-win game against the visiting No. 6 seed Minnesota Timberwolves.

Tuesday's lone result saw the No. 4 seed Denver Nuggets race past the No. 5 seed LA Clippers in front of a raucous home crowd to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Clippers are now in must-win mode as Game 6 shifts back to Intuit Dome on Thursday.

The No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, who swept the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies, await the winner of the Nuggets-Clippers series.

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

Wednesday's games

(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

(6) Minnesota Timberwolves lead the
(3) Los Angeles Lakers 3-1

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Timberwolves take 3-1 series lead after defensive stand on final play

The Timberwolves get a huge stop on defense as Austin Reaves' 3-point attempt is off the mark in the final seconds of Game 4.

Game 5: Timberwolves at Lakers (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET, TNT)

What to watch for:

What kind of fight the Lakers will have left in them. They put themselves in a position to win both games in Minnesota but couldn't close out either. L.A. should get a lift from its home crowd, but the Wolves are a confident team and based on how they came in and stole Game 1 at Crypto.com Arena, there's no reason to think they will be intimidated by the atmosphere.

-- Dave McMenamin

(4) Denver Nuggets lead (5) LA Clippers 3-2

Game 5: Nuggets 131, Clippers 115

What we learned:

Jamal Murray still has the ability to raise his level of play in the playoffs. Denver's point guard usually breaks the heart of the other Los Angeles team in the postseason, but Tuesday night he did it to the Clippers with an efficient, devastating shooting performance (17-for-26, 43 points, including eight 3-pointers) that carried the Nuggets virtually wire to wire.

Before the game Denver interim coach David Adelman discussed how important Murray is in alleviating pressure on Nikola Jokic to carry the team when the defense is focused on stopping the three-time MVP. Murray responded with his best game of the series, mitigating a rare quiet effort from Jokic, who was just 4-for-13 from the field and finished with a pedestrian triple-double by his standards, 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds.

Murray set the tone for the rest of the Nuggets starters, all of whom finished in double figures, and sixth man Russell Westbrook, who scored 16 of his playoff-best 21 points in the first half after sitting out Game 4 because of a foot injury.

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Jamal Murray's 43-point gem helps Denver win pivotal Game 5

Jamal Murray notches 43 points while knocking down eight 3-pointers as the Nuggets defeat the Clippers in Game 5.

What to watch for:

James Harden has to be more involved for the Clippers. Give credit to Christian Braun, who is playing excellent defense on him, but Harden is too important to what the Clippers do to be as quiet as he was in Game 5. The 11-time All-Star hit only 3 of 9 shots and finished with 11 points and five assists in 35 minutes as the team scored just 0.72 points per play when he touched the ball Tuesday, by far his lowest of the series.

Still, the Clippers probably scored enough to win this one if they'd played the kind of defense they had in the previous four games. That begins with keeping Murray from having another big night.

-- Ramona Shelburne

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SGA sends OKC into the second round with a game-sealing jumper

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hits a sweet jumper to complete OKC's sweep over the Grizzlies.

(1) Oklahoma City Thunder win series against
(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