NBA teams know injuries happen. Losing stars in playoffs still stings.
Steve Kerr’s Golden State Warriors had just beaten the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals, but his tone was somber.
“Obviously, we’re all concerned about Steph,” Kerr said, “but it’s part of the game.’
Part of the game. Always has been. Always will be. That doesn’t take away the sting from the game’s best players missing playoff games due to injury.
And the sting has had an impact, from Curry’s injury to Milwaukee guard Damian Lillard’s torn Achilles to Cleveland guard Darius Garland’s sprained left toe – and now Boston forward Jayson Tatum has a lower right leg injury.
It is not uncommon.
Last season, Lillard missed some of the playoffs, and teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo missed all of the playoffs. Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis was in and out of the lineup and didn’t play in the Eastern Conference finals and played in just three games in the NBA Finals. Zion Williamson sustained a hamstring injury in the play-in game and missed the first round, and Kawhi Leonard was available for just two first-round games in 2024. New Yok’s OG Anunoby missed the end of the Indiana series, and Joel Embiid was not close to 100%.
A 2021 ESPN headline: “NBA Finals 2021: How injuries shaped the title run and what it means for the 2022 playoffs.”
As Kerr said, it’s part of the game.
Injuries affecting the 2025 NBA playoffs
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers reduced minutes for key players this season in hopes of being healthy and not overly tired for the playoffs. However, all the best intentions can go awry, and they have for the Cavs. All-Star Darius Garland played in two of four first-round games and missed Games 1-2 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley missed Game 2 with a sprained left ankle, and De’Andre Hunter, one of the NBA’s best reserves, missed Game 2 with a sprained right thumb.
This is how much a series can tilt because of injuries: The Cavs were without Garland, Mobley and Hunter in Game 2 – a game in which they led 98-81 with 6.3 seconds left in the third quarter and 119-112 with 57.6 seconds left in the fourth. They lost 120-119.
Boston Celtics
The Tatum injury is devastating. Though the Knicks had taken control of the game late in the fourth quarter, Tatum was spectacular with 42 points on 16-for-28 shooting. Down 3-1, the prospect of coming back to win the series without Tatum, an All-Star who is headed for another All-NBA selection this season, seems impossible.
It not only sways the direction of this season, but next season as well as the Celtics ponder a future that includes new owners and a payroll that will approach nearly $500 million, luxury taxes included, in 2025-26.
Big man Kristaps Porzingis has been available but also limited in the playoffs due to lingering effects of a viral infection that forced him in and out of the lineup late in the regular season. In two of the four games against the Knicks in the East semifinals, Porzingis played less than 14 minutes in two games and less than 20 minutes in three of the four.
Jrue Holiday (strained right hamstring) missed the final three games of the first round against Orlando, and while he is no longer on the injury report and has played in all four games against New York, he has scored just 12 points in the past two games.
Boston’s depth has suffered, too, with Sam Hauser’s sprained ankle which has kept him out of Games 2-4.
Golden State Warriors
Just watching the Warriors without Curry in the past three games against Minnesota – all Timberwolves victories – shows how much they need Curry to win a game in the series. They miss his shooting, scoring, playmaking and defense. They miss the Curry aura that makes him one of the best to have ever played in the NBA.
Curry sustained a grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 1 against Minnesota in the West semifinals, and the Warriors are down 3-1. The Timberwolves are good and still might be up in the series even with Curry playing, but the Warriors struggle when he’s not available. There’s a remote chance Curry returns for Game 5 Wednesday, and while it’s plenty to ask of one player, Golden State’s chances to make this a six- or seven-game series depend on Curry.
Golden State’s Jimmy Butler missed Game 3 against Houston in the first round with a pelvic contusion.
Milwaukee Bucks
After missing the final 14 games of the regular season and the first game of the first round against Indiana with deep vein thrombosis in his right calf, Lillard went down with a torn left Achilles tendon against Indiana in Game 4.
The Bucks lost the series in five games, their third consecutive first-round playoff loss.
This is another injury that potentially reshapes the league. Lillard, who could miss all of next season, can become a free agent in the summer of 2026, and All-NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo will consider what his future with the team looks like. The conjecture will dominate NBA transactional discussions through the end of the Finals, through the draft and into free agency.
Denver Nuggets
Michael Porter Jr. is not on Denver’s injury report, but he sprained a joint in his left shoulder against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and has it wrapped during the West semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
His inability to move that shoulder the way he wants has limited his shooting effectiveness. An 18.2-points a game scorer and 50.4% shooter from the field and 39.5% on 3-pointers during the regular season, Porter is at 8.5 points per game, 31.4% shooting from the field and 31.8% on 3s against the Thunder.
Porter told reporters it’s an injury that can sideline a player for 4-6 weeks.
Memphis Grizzlies
The Thunder swept the Grizzlies in the first round, and Memphis guard Ja Morant exited in the second quarter of Game 3 with a bruised hip. He didn’t return and was ruled out for Game 4.