NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: TV, Live Stream Coverage for Tuesday's Semis
Now that's more like it.
After a mostly mundane first round and beginning to the second round, the NBA playoffs heated up Monday night. There were tight matchups between the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs that showed us both series could be closer and more entertaining than we originally thought.
Can Tuesday's action also deliver? Let's dive into the two matchups on the docket after identifying start times and how to watch the games.
| Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors | Tied 0-0 | 8 p.m. | TNT | TNT Overtime |
| Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors | Warriors lead 1-0 | 10:30 p.m. | TNT | TNT Overtime |
Game Predictions
Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors
Are the Raptors from the regular season going to show up in the second round? That's a key piece of information that could swing the outcome of this series.
Toronto won 56 games during the campaign, but had a bunch of trouble disposing of the pesky Indiana Pacers, who actually outscored the Raptors by 10 points throughout the seven-game series. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan did not play up to their All-Star standards, combining to shoot 75 of 236 from the field (31.8 percent) and 10 of 61 from three-point range (16.4 percent).
On paper, Miami should have the defenders in Luol Deng, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson to keep bothering Toronto's backcourt into difficult shooting games. The Heat also have an answer inside for Jonas Valanciunas, with the athletic Hassan Whiteside playing some excellent ball right now.
The Raptors do have a deeper bench with the likes of Cory Joseph, Norman Powell, Bismack Biyombo and Terrence Ross giving a lift of the pine. That should play a factor as the series extends.
In Game 1, though, the edge goes to the momentum Miami gained from two consecutive wins to close the series against the Charlotte Hornets, especially its 106-73 romp in Game 7.
Prediction: Heat 103, Raptors 97
Portland Trail Blazers at Golden State Warriors
Stephen Curry is recovering well after a knee injury in Game 4 of the Warriors' first-round series, but head coach Steve Kerr says he's still out for Tuesday's contest, per the Bay Area News Group's Diamond Leung.
If Game 1 of this series was any indication, though, Golden State should rest him until the conference finals begin.
The Warriors made it look easy without the probable two-time MVP, sprinting out to a 37-17 lead by the end of the first quarter. Portland closed the gap throughout the contest, but was never in a legitimately threatening position.
One thing that jumps off the page in the series is Golden State's impressive size without Curry. The 6'7" Shaun Livingston replaces him in the starting lineup, making the entire Warriors starting lineup at least that height. In Game 1, the Warriors got just 22 total minutes from players shorter than 6'6".
Considering that advantage and how athletic the Golden State guards and wings are, it's reasonable to expect continued struggles for the 6'3" Damian Lillard and 6'4" C.J. McCollum. They shot a combined 13 of 43 in Game 1 (30.2 percent).
Draymond Green can also continue to get what he wants against a weak frontcourt. The best legitimate big man the Blazers have to offer against him is Mason Plumlee, and that's simply not going to cut it.
Prediction: Warriors 110, Trail Blazers 99
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