Now that the first round of the playoffs is concluded, it’s time to look back on some of the best single-game fantasy performances we witnessed. This year’s first round was very competitive, and some of the best basketball we have seen compared to previous first rounds. We got two seven-game series, some surprises, and some expected results. Also, some of the craziest game endings in recent NBA history. Before we start, one caveat to this list is that a player will get to be on the list only once. There were a few players who would have been on this list twice, but I decided to give others some shine. With that being said, let’s get into it.
The Top 5 Fantasy Performances from the 2025 NBA First Round
1) Nikola Jokic – Game 4: 77.2 Fantasy Points
I think we all knew that Nikola Jokic was going to make this list one way or another. In an exciting seven-game series, Jokic and the Nuggets came to play. This series lived up to the hype, and game four was the best in the series. Aaron Gordon finished the game with a controversial game-winning dunk as time expired. The game finished in a crucial win for the Nuggets, 101-99, which tied the series up at 2-2. Jokic was outstanding in this game, posting 36 points, 21 rebounds, and 8 assists. He also added a block and two steals to his stat line. Jokic had a monster game in one of the most important games of the Nuggets’ season.
2) Giannis Antetokounmpo – Game 5: 74.5 Fantasy Points
Giannis Antetokounmpo was amazing in all five games of this series for the Bucks. Unfortunately, Damian Lillard exited this series with a ruptured Achilles. This series probably would have gone longer had this not happened, but the Bucks were still not well equipped to take on the Indiana Pacers. Game 5 had one of the craziest finishes in recent memory. From how the Pacers forced overtime, and came back from down seven points to win the game in overtime. Although the Bucks disappointed a lot of people, Giannis did not. In this game, Giannis had 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 13 assists. A 30-point triple-double with his team facing elimination was extremely impressive. Giannis was great all series, and it’s sad to see him go out the way he did, potentially being his last game as a Buck.
3) Jamal Murray – Game 5: 66.5 Fantasy Points
Jokic was not the only person to show up for the Nuggets in this series. Jamal Murray stepped up big time in game five of this series, and helped the Nuggets take a 3-2 series lead on the Clippers. Murray is a known playoff riser, and we knew an elite performance was going to happen at one point or another during this series. Murray finished game five with 43 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. He was also solid on the defensive end, finishing with three steals. The Nuggets don’t win game 5, and likely don’t win this series without a playoff Murray Game 5.
4) Anthony Edwards – Game 4: 63.8 Fantasy Points
Surprisingly, the Minnesota Timberwolves took care of the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. Anthony Edwards led the way for his team, but it was a total team effort from the Wolves. In Game 4, Ant played his best game of the series by far. He had 43 points, nine rebounds, and six assists and helped the Wolves take a 3-1 lead on the Lakers. The Wolves took advantage of the Lakers’ poor interior defense all series, and Edwards was leading the charge. Ant was outstanding all series, but shined in game four for the Timberwolves.
5) LeBron James – Game 3: 63.0 Fantasy Points
The Lakers were by far the most disappointing team from the 2025 playoffs so far. Many people expected the duo of LeBron James and Luka Doncic to dominate, and at the very least take this series to six or seven games. The Lakers fought hard, but ended up falling to the Timberwolves in five games. But LeBron still performed well for the most part in this series. In game four, James finished with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. The main highlights from LeBron came from his five made threes throughout the game. He also added two steals and two blocks. Although the Lakers did not live up to expectations, LeBron certainly did not disappoint.
NBA First Round Wrap-Up
What a start to the 2025 playoffs. The first round brought us some great series and some outstanding individual performances this year. Jokic and Giannis stuffed the stat sheet time and time again. Murray gave us an efficient 43-point performance. Also, LeBron and Edwards gave us a great series themselves. Some other great performances included Rudy Gobert in Game 5, Jayson Tatum in Game 4, Kawhi Leonard in Game 2, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 4.
Featured image: © Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The post The Top 5 Fantasy Performances from the 2025 NBA First Round appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.