NBA Playoffs 2017: Updated Postseason Bracket Picture, Results and Predictions

As NBA playoffs series shift venues, we're starting to see lower seeds fight back with a victory or pushed to the brink of elimination.

The Indiana Pacers blasted the Cleveland Cavaliers for a half with 74 points in Game 3, but the defending champions, led by LeBron James, returned the favor and then some in the second half.

The Cavaliers closed the contest with a 119-114 victory, which makes Sunday's tilt an elimination contest. In a 4-0 sweep scenario, questions will swirl around forward Paul George's future with the team. 

Keep a close eye on the sixth-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, who stole a victory on the Toronto Raptors court and then crushed them by 27 points at home. The Bucks list as the only lower seed to lead their playoff series. 

How many teams will complete a sweep? Will we see a first-round upset? What are the biggest postseason storylines to date?

Eastern Conference
Western Conference
Matchup	Series	Prediction
No. 1 Boston Celtics vs. No. 8 Chicago Bulls	2-1 CHI	BOS in 7
No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No. 7 Indiana Pacers	3-0 CLE	CLE in 4
No. 3 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks	2-1 MIL	TOR in 7
No. 4 Washington Wizards vs. No. 5 Atlanta Hawks	2-0 WAS	WAS in 5
Matchup	Series	Prediction
No. 1 Golden State Warriors vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers	2-0 GS	GS in 4
No. 2 San Antonio Spurs vs. No. 7 Memphis Grizzlies	2-1 SA	SA in 5
No. 3 Houston Rockets vs. No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder	2-1 HOU	HOU in 5
No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz	2-1 LAC	UTA in 7

Rajon Rondo Fractured Thumb, Boston Celtics Win

Gary Dineen/Getty Images

Chicago Bulls guard Rajon Rondo fractured his thumb during the team's Game 2 victory, but he won't need surgery to repair it, per the team's official website.

Rondo significantly elevated his regular-season play while active in two playoff appearances against the Boston Celtics:

Stat Category	Season Average	Playoff Average
Points	7.8	11.5
Rebounds	5.1	8.5
Assists	6.7	10
Steals	1.4	3.5
Turnovers	2.4	2.0

The Bulls went home with a 2-0 advantage, but the Celtics jumped off to an early lead and never took their feet off the pedal. If Chicago loses, the momentum and series swings back to Boston.

The Bulls didn't shut the door on Rondo's potential return, per head coach Fred Hoiberg via Chicago Tribune reporter K.C. Johnson:

"

Hoiberg said Rondo is in cast and will be re-evaluated in 7-10 days. Suffered injury in 3rd quarter. Played through it.

— K.C. Johnson (@KCJHoop) April 21, 2017"

Chicago, without its floor general, won't have enough to close out the series. Second-year guard Jerian Grant replaced Rondo in the starting lineup. The Bulls' starting five combined for six assists in Game 3. Clearly, the offense lacked movement and shrewd decision-making at point guard.

Sans Rondo, the Bulls lose the series in seven games.

Taj Gibson Aids Russell Westbrook in Thunder Victory

J Pat Carter/Getty Images

Unless you'd like to count forward Paul Roberson's Game 1 outburst when he shot 4-of-6 from three-point range, this series has been a lot of Russell Westbrook and not much more for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On Friday, forward Taj Gibson finally answered Westbrook's SOS with a 20-point performance. He went 10-of-13 from the field and added an inside presence to the Thunder's frontcourt.

In the postgame press conference, Westbrook talked about feeding Gibson on the inside in a favorable matchup:

"

Westbrook said Thunder wanted to keep going to Taj Gibson (20 points), miss or make, liked the matchup: pic.twitter.com/Ed67bQDuZE

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) April 22, 2017"

Meanwhile, Westbrook continued to be himself—an extraordinary talent who does a little bit of everything to carry his team to victory. He accomplished something that hasn't been done since the 2002 playoffs and etched his name next to Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson again, per ESPN Stats & Info:

"

Russell Westbrook: 2nd player in NBA history with consecutive 30-point triple-doubles in the playoffs (Oscar Robertson).

via @EliasSports pic.twitter.com/Llij1OTuf0

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 22, 2017"

Gibson's presence in the post could be a factor going forward and the spark needed to balance this series. As a given, Westbrook will also need to keep putting up triple-doubles to combat Houston Rockets guard James Harden and an array of shooters on the roster.

Blake Griffin's Toe Injury Ends Season

ESPN's Marc Spears tweeted an official statement from the Los Angeles Clippers, which confirms forward Blake Griffin's toe injury:

Griffin also missed two games in a six-game series last year against the Portland Trail Blazers.

For the Clippers, it's another postseason appearance that includes an uphill climb with an injury to a prominent player. The team went into the 2017 playoffs with pressure as an underachieving team in years past.

Point guard Chris Paul, who's also missed playoff games due to injury over the past two years, led Los Angeles to a 111-106 victory over the Jazz on Friday. He scored 34 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed seven rebounds. 

Without Griffin, the team will need Paul to maintain his 26.7-point average or push a little more on the offensive end to compensate for the injured forward's contributions. Role players such as center Marreese Speights and guard Jamal Crawford will also need to soak up some responsibility in the scoring department.