Saturday's NBA Games: Cavaliers-Heat, Thunder-Grizzlies,

Oklahoma City has an opportunity to secure its area in Round 2. Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers can get to the doorstep of the 2nd round. And the Houston-Golden State winner is going to have control of their matchup.


Those are the headings going into a quadruple-header of NBA championship game on Saturday: Oklahoma City can sweep its series with a win at Memphis, Cleveland can take a 3-0 lead over Miami, the Clippers will intend for a 3-1 edge when they host Denver and the nightcap is a Rockets-Warriors match in San Francisco with those groups tied at a game apiece.


And there are some injury concerns, particularly for Memphis and Golden State. Grizzlies secure Ja Morant took a bad fall that knocked him out of Game 3 against Oklahoma City with a bruised hip - and assisted contribute to the Thunder rallying from a 29-point deficit - while Warriors forward Jimmy Butler likewise is handling the side effects of a fall that knocked him out of Game 2 in Houston.


"I never desire to see any person get hurt. I hope he's OK," Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said of Morant. "You want everybody to be at complete strength. He's a great rival. He was playing terrific. Obviously, that had something to do with the game as well. It 'd be incorrect of me not to acknowledge that."


The Thunder, considering that moving to Oklahoma City, were 0-95 in games where they tracked by at least 27 points - up until Thursday.


"Never surprised. Always amazed," Daigneault stated. "They just feel an unbelievable obligation to one another."


Memphis Grizzlies guard Scotty Pippen Jr., right, tries to get a loose ball ahead of Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams (8) in the 2nd half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)


When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 1 p.m. EDT (TNT)


Series: Cavaliers lead, 2-0.


BetMGM Sportsbook: Cavaliers by 6.5.


What to Know: Miami did a lot of things right in Game 2 - teams in championship game were 76-0 all-time when scoring a minimum of 112 points, making 16 3s, shooting 50% or better from the field and holding their challenger to under 50% shooting. The Heat did all that and lost Game 2 anyway, simply because of Cleveland ´ s barrage of 3-pointers and Donovan Mitchell ´ s ability to make huge plays down the stretch to ward off a Miami run. The Heat state Game 3 is a must-win, so a big push to open the game. It ´ ll be an excellent test for Cleveland, which was excellent on the road all year, to see how it deals with a playoff roadway environment.


When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 3:30 p.m. EDT (TNT)


Series: Thunder lead, 3-0.


BetMGM Sportsbook: Thunder by 14.5.


What to Know: Oklahoma City will have an opportunity to be the first string to reach Round 2 of the playoffs, plus can finish off a first-round sweep for the second consecutive year after ousting New Orleans 4-0 last season. The 14.5-point spread, assuming it doesn't move before game time, would be the biggest according to BetMGM Sportsbook for any roadway group in a playoff video game over the last decade. (Excluding bubble video games, the biggest road favorites in the postseason considering that 2012 were San Antonio at Memphis in 2016 and Milwaukee at Detroit in 2019. Both were 12.5-point favorites and both covered). The challenge for Memphis will be how to combat back after losing a 29-point lead in Game 3.


When/Where to Watch: Game 4, 6 p.m. EDT (TNT)


Series: Clippers lead, 2-1.


BetMGM Sportsbook: Clippers by 5.5.


What to Know: The Clippers trailed 26-19 after 9 minutes of Game 1 - and outscored the Nuggets 98-57 the rest of the way. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray had 37 of those last 57 points for Denver while their colleagues integrated to shoot 7-for-37 and rating only 20 points in those 39 minutes. That is all an obvious credit to the Clippers' defense, which has been an overlooked story all season. Another increase for the Clippers out of that video game was how Kawhi Leonard didn't have to log big minutes; he played just 34. Denver has to get some shooting going in Game 4, after getting outscored 54-21 on 3-pointers in Game 3.


When/Where to Watch: Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT (ABC)


Series: Tied, 1-1.


BetMGM Sportsbook: Warriors by 2.5.


What to Know: Golden State forward Jimmy Butler's injury status is the huge question entering into Game 3. And if he plays, can he be reliable? The Warriors still have the upper hand in the series after getting a split of Games 1 and 2 in Houston and now come home to Chase Center - where they are 16-4 in playoff and play-in games. The Rockets are just 2-8 in that structure, the third-worst record among Western Conference teams, ahead of only Utah (2-9) and Portland (1-9). Houston needs to enjoy what it has actually done defensively up until now in the series, holding the Warriors to 95 and 94 points in the very first two matches. That's a clear pattern, with the Warriors being held under 100 points in five of their last 6 games versus the Rockets. The combined numbers from those games: Rockets 582, Warriors 579, and each team going 3-3.


AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba


Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) deals with the ball against Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) in the 2nd half of Game 3 of an NBA first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)


Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gestures after a 3 point basket in the first half in Game 2 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)


Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) battles in the 2nd half in Game 2 of an NBA first-round playoff series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wednesday, April 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)


Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, battles for a loose ball with Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet, left, and Rockets center Steven Adams throughout the 2nd half of Game 2 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets in Houston, Wednesday, April 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Karen Warren)


Los Angeles Clippers guard Patty Mills, left, and Denver Nuggets guard Jalen Pickett grab a loose ball throughout the 2nd half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)


Fans tease the Denver Nuggets from "The Wall" throughout the second half in Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series versus the Los Angeles Clippers Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)