NBA Playoff Schedule 2018: Updated Bracket Dates, TV Network List and More
After two weekends of 2018 NBA playoff action, only one of the initial 16 squads has been sent fishing.
The sixth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans broke out their brooms and swept the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers out of the opening round. The seven other series have seen at least one win for both sides, while three of them are gridlocked after four games.
Who will join Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday and the rest of the Big Easy's best in the conference semis? Monday's two-game slate will either bring a bit of clarity or add to the first-round traffic jam, depending on whether 2-1 advantages become 3-1 strongholds or 2-2 ties.
Let's get to the updated brackets, lay out the broadcast schedule for Monday night and zero in on the critical Game 4 collisions.
2018 NBA Playoff Bracket
Eastern Conference
No. 1 Toronto Raptors and No. 8 Washington Wizards tied 2-2
No. 2 Boston Celtics and No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks tied 2-2
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers lead No. 6 Miami Heat 3-1
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers and No. 5 Indiana Pacers tied 2-2
Western Conference
No. 1 Houston Rockets lead No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 2-1
No. 2 Golden State Warriors lead No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 3-1
No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans eliminated No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 4-0
No. 5 Utah Jazz lead No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder 2-1
Monday's NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 4—Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET on TNT
Game 4—Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz, 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Monday Preview
Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves
The Houston Rockets were the West's best team this season, and they looked the part for their first two games with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The series opener wasn't dominant—a 104-101 thrill ride—but it was deflating in the sense that James Harden had an answer for everything. The MVP candidate totaled 44 points by himself, five more than the 'Wolves got out of Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins combined.
Game 2 showed what happens when Harden gets help. The Rockets rolled to a 102-82 rout, despite the Beard having six more shots (18) than points (12). It didn't matter with Chris Paul tallying 27 points, Gerald Green adding another 21 and Houston getting 15 threes from shooters not named Harden.
Game 3 presented something different entirely—that this Minnesota squad is no ordinary eighth seed. Four different starters had 18-plus points, and the Timberwolves not only went three-ball-for-three-ball with the Rockets, they actually outran this season's second-most efficient offense by a 121-105 count.
"Hey guys, you have a playoff series, and they're a good team," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said, via NBA.com. "They played better than we did today. We'll make some adjustments. We'll figure this out."
Adjustment No. 1 on Houston's side is locating Harden's efficiency. After that blistering start to the series, he's shooting just 28.2 percent and 4-of-18 outside over the last two games. The Rockets have some other scorers, but each step down the pecking order sees a less reliable option. Better to game-plan to get Harden back on track than hope Gerald Green or Ryan Anderson has a hot shooting night.
Adjustment No. 2 isn't actually an adjustment. It's more a word of caution for Houston not to re-invent the wheel. Most of what it's doing is working. Butler and Towns are scoring well below their season averages. Meanwhile, the Rockets are winning without playing an "A" game yet. Houston's offense has yet to hit its stride, but that could be inevitable against the league's 22nd-ranked defense.
For the Timberwolves, they have to guard against an emotional letdown. It was easy getting up for the game on Saturday. Not only did they have the desperation of an 0-2 deficit, they had the franchise's first home playoff outing since 2004.
They must summon the same energy for this contest. They're fighting an uphill battle against a more talented team, and their season gives little hope of them matching the Rockets' outside shooting again. Minnesota still needs more from Towns (10.3 points per game), and it has to keep Butler in attack mode (19 shots in Game 3, 17 over the two games prior).
Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz gained the upper hand in this series by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder at their own game. While reigning MVP and triple-double king Russell Westbrook labored to 14 points on 5-of-17 shooting, Ricky Rubio stole the show with a 26-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-dip.
It was Utah's first playoff triple-double since John Stockton in 2001.
"Having my name next to his name is an honor," Rubio said, per ESPN.com's Royce Young. "I don't know what else to say. It's huge. [I] Have huge respect for him, and playing here is great because I know how important a point guard he is for this franchise."
Westbrook could not have had a more different take on the performance.
"He made some shots," Westbrook said, per Young. "Too comfortable. But I'm gonna shut that s--t off next game, though. Guarantee that."
While some may have circled other matchups coming into this round, Westbrook vs. Rubio is possibly becoming this series' most important.
The point guard with more points and a higher shooting percentage has led his team to victory in all three contests. That's better news for Utah than OKC, as Rubio's numbers in those categories have trended up each time, while Westbrook's have backtracked one game to the next.
Westbrook not only needs to win his head-to-head, he has to dominate it in order to offset the absence of Andre Roberson. Donovan Mitchell (25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds) is so far ahead of Corey Brewer (9.0 points, 3.3 rebounds) that the Thunder have to gain ground at basically every other position.
Paul George is doing his part (25.7 points on .456/.484/.833 shooting), but it takes more than one player to topple 2018's best defense. Westbrook having a postseason to forget isn't helping, and neither is Steven Adams' foul trouble (10 in 48 minutes over the last two games).
As long as Utah can keep its offense on track—111.6 points per game in April—it will keep maximum pressure on Oklahoma City. The Thunder have the talent to overcome it, but they're running out of time to make all their pieces fit.
Statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
