NBA Playoffs 2019: Schedule, Game Times and Predictions for 1st-Round Bracket
Postseason basketball is just getting started, as the NBA playoffs began Saturday with four first-round matchups. The other four series begin Sunday, and it's only then that the quest for the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy will be fully underway.
The Golden State Warriors were the only higher-seeded team to win Saturday, as they opened their series against the Los Angeles Clippers with a home victory. The San Antonio Spurs, Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic all notched upset road victories to open the postseason.
As the first playoff games are just taking place, here's a look at everything you need to know for the opening round of this year's NBA playoffs.
1st-Round NBA Playoffs Schedule
Sunday, April 14
Game 1: Indiana at Boston, 1 p.m., TNT
Game 1: Oklahoma City at Portland, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Game 1: Detroit at Milwaukee, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 1: Utah at Houston, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Monday, April 15
Game 2: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2: L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Tuesday, April 16
Game 2: Orlando at Toronto, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 2: San Antonio at Denver, 9 p.m., NBA TV
Game 2: Oklahoma City at Portland, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Wednesday, April 17
Game 2: Indiana at Boston, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 2: Detroit at Milwaukee, 8 p.m., NBA TV
Game 2: Utah at Houston, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Thursday, April 18
Game 3: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 3: Denver at San Antonio, 9 p.m., NBA TV
Game 3: Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Friday, April 19
Game 3: Toronto at Orlando, 7 p.m., ESPN
Game 3: Boston at Indiana, 8:30 p.m., ABC
Game 3: Portland at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, April 20
Game 4: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 3 p.m., TNT
Game 4: Denver at San Antonio, 5:30 p.m., TNT
Game 3: Milwaukee at Detroit, 8 p.m., ESPN
Game 3: Houston at Utah, 10:30 p.m., ESPN
Sunday, April 21
Game 4: Boston at Indiana, 1 p.m., ABC
Game 4: Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 3:30 p.m., ABC
Game 4: Toronto at Orlando, 7 p.m., TNT
Game 4: Portland at Oklahoma City, 9:30 p.m., TNT
Monday, April 22
Game 4: Milwaukee at Detroit, 8 p.m., TNT
Game 4: Houston at Utah, 10:30 p.m., TNT
Tuesday, April 23
Game 5: San Antonio at Denver, TBD*
Game 5: Orlando at Toronto, TBD*
Game 5: Oklahoma City at Portland, TBD*
Game 5: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, TBD*
Wednesday, April 24
Game 5: Detroit at Milwaukee, TBD*
Game 5: L.A. Clippers at Golden State, TBD*
Game 5: Utah at Houston, TBD*
Game 5: Indiana at Boston, TBD*
Thursday, April 25
Game 6: Denver at San Antonio, TBD*
Game 6: Toronto at Orlando, TBD*
Game 6: Portland at Oklahoma City, TBD*
Game 6: Philadelphia at Brooklyn, TBD*
Friday, April 26
Game 6: Milwaukee at Detroit, TBD*
Game 6: Golden State at L.A. Clippers, TBD*
Game 6: Houston at Utah, TBD*
Game 6: Boston at Indiana, TBD*
Saturday, April 27
Game 7: San Antonio at Denver, TBD*
Game 7: Orlando at Toronto, TBD*
Game 7: Oklahoma City at Portland, TBD*
Game 7: Brooklyn at Philadelphia, TBD*
Sunday, April 28
Game 7: Detroit at Milwaukee, TBD*
Game 7: L.A. Clippers at Golden State, TBD*
Game 7: Utah at Houston, TBD*
Game 7: Indiana at Boston, TBD*
*If necessary. All times ET.
1st-Round Predictions
Eastern Conference
Milwaukee over Detroit in four games.
Toronto over Orlando in five games.
Philadelphia over Brooklyn in six games.
Boston over Indiana in six games.
Western Conference
Golden State over L.A. Clippers in four games.
Denver over San Antonio in seven games.
Oklahoma City over Portland in seven games.
Houston over Utah in six games.
For most of the first-round series, it should be the favored team securing the victory and moving on to the conference semifinals. And that includes the three higher-seeded teams that suffered Game 1 losses on Saturday.
The Toronto Raptors, Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets will all bounce back to progress.
The series that most likely could see a lower-seeded team winning in the first round is the Western Conference matchup between the No. 3-seeded Portland Trail Blazers and the No. 6-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
It should be a competitive series that goes to seven games, and the Thunder will pull out a clutch Game 7 win led by stars Russell Westbrook and Paul George. Entering Game 1, George is day to day with right shoulder soreness.
However, he appears confident he will be playing Game 1.
"You can expect me out there Sunday," George said, as ESPN.com's Royce Young shared.
The top two championship contenders are likely the Golden State Warriors and Milwaukee Bucks, their respective conferences' No. 1 seeds. The Warriors are looking to win the title for the third straight season, while the Bucks are seeking their first playoff series win since 2001.
Neither team should have any difficulty winning its first-round series. The Warriors should handily defeat the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Bucks will take down the Detroit Pistons, with each team winning its series with a four-game sweep.
The first round will have some exciting and competitive games, and the matchups will only get more intense as the playoffs progress.
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