The second round of the 2025 National Basketball Association playoffs is two days old and so far we have seen an interesting trend. Of the three games so far, the road team has come out victorious. This leads one to make a sincere question. Is home court advantage such a big advantage at all? So far, the answer is no.
On Sunday, before the Golden State Warriors won game seven of the first round in the Western Conference, the Indiana Pacers went into Cleveland and won 121-112. The Pacers had a slim 92-90 lead after three quarters before outscoring Cleveland 29-22 in the final 12 minutes. All five Pacers starters reached double digits in points, with Canadian guard Andrew Nembhard leading the way with 23 points. Meanwhile, two Pacers had double doubles, as guard Tyrese Haliburton of Oshkosh, Wisconsin had 22 points, and 13 assists, and center Myles Turner of Bedford, Texas had 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Then on Monday, both visitor teams came out on top. The Knicks had a remarkable comeback in Boston. The Celtics were once up 72-52 at the halfway point of the third quarter. Then New York went on a 56-33 run, and eventually won 108-105 in overtime. Knicks forward OG Anunoby of London, Great Britain, and guard Jalen Brunson of New Brunswick, New Jersey had 29 points each to lead the team. Meanwhile, Knicks shooting guard Josh Hart of Silver Spring, Maryland and center Karl-Anthony Towns of Edison, New Jersey both had double-doubles. Hart had 14 points and 11 rebounds, and Towns had 14 points and 13 rebounds. The Knicks won with great defense. The Celtics had time to get a shot off, but Mikal Bridges stole the basketball from Jaylen Brown with a second left.
There was drama in Oklahoma City too. The Denver Nuggets were down 113-102 with four and a half minutes left before outscoring Oklahoma City Thunder 19-6 down the stretch for a 121-119 win. Chet Holmgren missed two free throws with nine seconds left to give Denver momentum. Then with three seconds left, Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon of San Jose, California, had another game-winning shot. This one was a three-pointer from 25 feet. It was also a strong game for Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic, who had 42 points, and 22 rebounds.
