NBA Playoffs 2015: Live Stream Schedule and Odds for Tuesday's Games
Three of the four NBA playoff teams in action during Tuesday's Western Conference opening-round slate are from the Lone Star State. The Houston Rockets have a 3-1 series advantage and will seek to close out the Dallas Mavericks at home.
Many would argue the best first-round series closes out the evening. It's a Game 5 showdown between the reigning champion San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center.
TNT will be taking care of the telecast and the live stream coverage for both contests. Check out more information below along with analysis and predictions for each game.
Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets
| 5 | Dallas Mavericks at Houston Rockets | Rockets (-7) | 8 p.m. | TNT |
| 5 | San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers | Clippers (-2) | 10:30 p.m. | TNT |
Cold shooting in the middle of Game 4 doomed the Rockets after they looked fully capable of pulling off the sweep in Dallas with a nine-point lead through one quarter.
The NBA on ESPN highlighted how much of a lift J.J. Barea provided running the point for the Mavs after the mercurial Rajon Rondo and Raymond Felton failed to provide a spark:
Barea certainly does well when given an opportunity, but keeping up his sensational play will be easier said than done on the road and with the expectations to produce.
Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com praised the job Al-Farouq Aminu did on MVP candidate James Harden:
Again, Dallas has to count on Aminu shutting down a borderline unstoppable scorer and facilitator to have any hope of extending the series. It all seems like a little too much to ask because a perfect storm of circumstances came together just for the Mavs to avoid a sweep.
Matt Moore of CBSSports.com alluded to how much of a luxury it is for Houston to have Harden:
"Al-Farouq Aminu is defending his tail off against James Harden tonight. His length is a problem for the NBA's No. 2 scorer this season.
— Earl K. Sneed (@EarlKSneed) April 27, 2015"
And that's not even to mention the massive improvement Josh Smith has shown for the Rockets in the postseason. Smith is knocking down perimeter shots, attacking the hoop and distributing extremely well, showing off innate chemistry with former AAU teammate Dwight Howard.
It would be a surprise to see Houston not bounce back in front of the home fans and seal the series in five games.
The nail-biting finish to the regular season resulted in the Rockets grabbing the No. 2 seed at the last minute. They have no choice but to capitalize on the home-court advantage if they want to be considered a legitimate championship contender.
Prediction: Rockets 110, Mavericks 101
San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
Chris Paul was a man on a mission in Game 4, putting up 34 points to help L.A. win and giving the Clippers a real chance instead of returning home down 3-1.
Another Los Angeles basketball legend, Magic Johnson, did well to explain Paul's resolve:
The comments Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made after the Spurs won the prior contest 100-73 rang truest, though.
"We're not that good, and they are not what you saw tonight, without a doubt," said Popovich, per Kens5.com's David Flores. "We just had one heck of a night. That's all it is, one night. You throw it out, and you start all over again, and they'll do the same thing."
Just as San Antonio wasn't as good as it showed in taking a 2-1 series advantage in such dominant fashion, it took such a deep-digging effort for the Clippers to even the score on Sunday.
The Spurs have far more experience in situations such as these. All the pressure is on L.A. to hold home court because returning to San Antonio facing elimination is the last thing the Clippers want.
Paul has played brilliantly with the exception of Game 3, yet he'll still field critics about how he can't get it done in the playoffs if his squad exits early—even against the current Larry O'Brien Trophy bearers. Josh Eberley of HoopsHabit.com does well to describe what Paul is facing:
These legacy implications are distractions that even the support of a fellow All-Star in Blake Griffin and a title-winning coach in Doc Rivers can't really help Paul combat.
Legendary big man Tim Duncan, Paul's counterpart Tony Parker and swingman Manu Ginobili are as seasoned a veteran core as there is in the Association. San Antonio also has an emerging superstar in two-way dynamo Kawhi Leonard, last year's NBA Finals MVP.
Despite how explosive the Clippers offense can be, they're facing such a fundamentally sound team whose nucleus has had the goods to win a multitude of championships.
The mental toughness and fortitude it takes to win in the biggest games is something the Spurs are better acquainted with; it's not so much that L.A. is lacking in that area. This is why San Antonio will find a way to slow the pace down, take the crowd out of it and notch a vintage Spurs victory.
Prediction: Spurs 98, Clippers 95
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