NBA Playoff Bracket 2018: TV Schedule Guide for Remainder of Postseason
The Milwaukee Bucks guaranteed there will be at least one Game 7 in the first round of this year's NBA playoffs when they beat the Boston Celtics 97-86 on Thursday night.
We could potentially see a total of four series-deciding games, however, as three pairs of teams play the sixth game of their respective matchups on Friday night.
Here's a look at the NBA playoff bracket, an NBA television postseason guide (per Sports Media Watch) and a quick preview of Friday's action.
NBA Playoff Bracket: Eastern Conference
First Round
No. 1 Toronto Raptors 3, No. 8 Washington Wizards 2
No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers 3, No. 5 Indiana Pacers 2
No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4, No. 6 Miami Heat 1
No. 2 Boston Celtics 3, No. 7 Milwaukee Bucks 3
Second Round
Toronto/Washington winner vs. Cleveland/Indiana winner
Philadelphia vs. Boston/Milwaukee winner
Conference Finals
Winners of second-round matchups face off. Higher seed has home-court advantage.
NBA Playoff Bracket: Western Conference
First Round
No. 1 Houston Rockets 4, No. 8 Minnesota Timberwolves 1
No. 5 Utah Jazz 3, No. 4 Oklahoma City Thunder 2
No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans 4, No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 0
No. 2 Golden State Warriors 4, No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 1
Second Round
Golden State vs. New Orleans
Houston vs. Utah/Oklahoma City winner
Conference Finals
Winners of second-round matchups face off. Higher seed has home-court advantage.
NBA Finals
Eastern Conference winner vs. Western Conference winner. Team with better regular-season record has home-court advantage.
NBA Playoff TV Schedule: Confirmed Games
Friday, April 27 at 7 p.m. ET on NBATV and ESPNEWS: Toronto at Washington
Friday, April 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN: Cleveland at Indiana
Friday, April 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN: Oklahoma City at Utah
Saturday, April 28 at 8 p.m. on TNT: Milwaukee at Boston
Saturday, April 28 at 10:30 p.m. on TNT: New Orleans at Golden State (second round)
NBA Playoff TV Schedule: Unconfirmed Games
Sunday, April 29: Washington at Toronto, Indiana at Cleveland and Oklahoma City at Utah will be played on this day if necessary. Times have not been announced.
NBA Playoff Round Dates
Second Round: Saturday, April 28 through Monday, May 14 (if necessary)
Conference Finals: Tuesday, May 15 through Monday, May 28 (if necessary)
NBA Finals: Thursday, May, 31 through Sunday, June 17 (if necessary)
Game 6 Matchup Breakdowns
Wizards Outside John Wall Must Step Up
You can almost mark down in pen that Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will have another big game Friday night. The former Kentucky Wildcat has averaged 26.6 points, 12.2 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 steals over five playoff matchups with the Toronto Raptors. Even foul trouble that limited him to 32 minutes in Game 2 didn't stop him from producing another big stat line (29 points, nine assists).
The key is whether the rest of Wall's teammates can back him up. Right now, the production from the rest of the team has been hit or miss. Center Marcin Gortat dropped a double-double in Game 5 (and has fared well for the most part), but he also scored zero points in Game 2.
Bradley Beal has made just 19-of-48 shots (39.6 percent) from the field when the series shifts to Toronto, and Otto Porter has averaged just 10.0 points per game overall (down from his season average of 14.7).
The bench has provided a little juice here and there, like when Mike Scott scored 20 points in Game 2, but the Wizards won't win this series with uneven performances in Games 6 and 7 from the complementary players.
Can Kevin Love Return to Form?
The most important player in Indiana on Friday night is Cleveland power forward Kevin Love.
Love has struggled in this series and especially in the last two games. He's averaged just 11.8 points per game (off his season average of 17.6 points) and hit only four of his last 21 shots. For the series, he's made 32.8 percent of his field-goal attempts.
The Cavs need Love to get going if they are to have any success for the remainder of the postseason (and if they are to win this series). Love is still the team's second-leading scorer in the playoffs despite the cold stretch, which speaks to the fact that the rest of the team hasn't fared particularly well on the offensive end.
If he finds his shot again and starts posting the 20-10 games he's capable of the Cavs could close this series out and make a deep run. Otherwise, the Pacers could take Game 6 at home and steal Game 7 on the road.
Will the Utah Jazz Be Able To Bounce Back After Tough Loss?
A Jae Crowder three-pointer put the Utah Jazz up 71-46 over the Oklahoma City Thunder with 8:34 left in the third quarter of Game 5 on Wednesday. However, Russell Westbrook and Paul George led a furious charge, helping the Thunder outscore the Jazz by 33 points over the last 20-plus minutes for a 107-99 win.
The Jazz have outplayed the Thunder for the better part of this series, in part because they are winning the battles down low and because Ricky Rubio and Donovan Mitchell have taken turns getting scorching hot from the field. However, blowing a 25-point lead with just over 20 minutes left in the game may have a residual effect on the Jazz, who saw an almost-certain victory snatched away.
That being said, Utah has two things on its side.
One, Game 6 is at home, where the Jazz are 30-13 this year (Oklahoma City is just 21-22 on the road).
Two, the Utah defense is one of the best in the NBA, ranking second in defensive efficiency behind only the Boston Celtics. The Thunder have had their offensive issues this year: Namely, they finished tied for 23rd in three-point percentage (35.4 percent). If the offense fails to find a rhythm and Russell Westbrook and/or Paul George don't pull off another Herculean effort this one will likely go to the Jazz.
