NBA Playoffs 2019: Updated Postseason Bracket Picture, Results and Predictions

Parity can be hard to find in the first round of the NBA playoffs, but the 2019 version has seen more than its fair share.

Five of the eight series have seen each team win at least once after the Oklahoma City Thunder earned their first triumph of the postseason with Friday's 120-108 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Russell Westbrook scored 33 points on 22 shots and dropped 11 dimes, just enough for OKC to survive a 32-point, six-assist performance from Damian Lillard.

Elsewhere, Pascal Siakam formally introduced himself to casual fans with team highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds in the Toronto Raptors' 98-93 win over the Orlando Magic. And Jaylen Brown's masterful effort of 23 points on 8-of-9 shooting helped the Boston Celtics edge the pesky Indiana Pacers 104-96.

With four more games on the docket Saturday, let's shift our attention forward to see how our crystal ball thinks those contests will play out.

Updated NBA Postseason Bracket

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks 2, No. 8 Detroit Pistons 0

No. 4 Boston Celtics 3, No. 5 Indiana Pacers 0

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers 2, No. 6 Brooklyn Nets 1

No. 2 Toronto Raptors 2, No. 7 Orlando Magic 1

Western Conference

No. 1 Golden State Warriors 2, No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 1

No. 4 Houston Rockets 2, No. 5 Utah Jazz 0

No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 2, No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder 1

No. 2 Denver Nuggets 1, No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 2

Saturday Predictions

76ers at Nets, 3 p.m. ET

Philly's oft-injured All-Star center Joel Embiid has logged just 45 minutes in this series, and he may not add to that total in Game 4. Knee tendinitis has bothered him back to the All-Star break, and the fact that he's yet to shake it casts an ominous cloud over the City of Brotherly Love.

But the Sixers have the horsepower to race past the Nets without Embiid, just like they did in Game 3. With 102 points provided by Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, JJ Redick and Jimmy Butler, Philly flexed more top-shelf talent than Brooklyn is able to match.

Expect a similar script on Saturday. The Nets have done a tremendous job of roster-building on a budget, but they're still fighting up a weight class even against the Embiid-less Sixers.

Nuggets at Spurs, 5:30 p.m. ET

This is the Nuggets' first playoff trip since 2013 and the Spurs' 22nd consecutive postseason appearance. The difference in experience has loomed large over this series, with seventh-seeded San Antonio sprinting out to an early lead on second-seeded Denver.

The Nuggets, though, are the more talented team, and now that they've had a few days to adjust to the Alamo City, expect them to look the part Saturday.

Denver's fate is in the hands of 22-year-old scoring guard Jamal Murray. He's averaged just 11.5 points on 33.3 percent shooting in the club's two losses and provided 24 points with a 47.1 percent conversion rate in its only win. Look for a big effort from him leading to a series-tying triumph.

Bucks at Pistons, 8 p.m. ET

This series had the biggest on-paper gap between the teams, and it's showed throughout the early going. The Bucks won more games than anyone this season, while the Pistons had the worst record of the 16 playoff teams.

Milwaukee also scored a decisive 4-0 sweep of the teams' regular-season series, with three of the four victories decided by double digits.

Oh, and the Pistons have so far played this series without Blake Griffin, their offensive fulcrum and lone All-Star. His status is again in question for Game 3, which likely rids the Pistons of any hope to keep things competitive.

The Bucks not only own a 2-0 series lead, but they're also a whopping—and NBA-best—plus-56 so far. They won't have trouble extending both advantages Saturday, maybe by a(nother) massive margin if Griffin can't go again.

Rockets at Jazz, 10:30 p.m. ET

This looked like the first round's marquee matchup, but so far, James Harden and the Rockets have run roughshod over the Jazz. Houston has victories of 32 and 20 points, while Harden owns per-game averages of 30.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.0 assists.

It's possible Utah's offense is too flawed to make this a series. Sophomore Donovan Mitchell was its only player to average 16-plus points this season, and he's posting an abysmal 32.4/26.7/40.0 slash line through two games.

But the Jazz, who've won a playoff series in each of the last two years, should be better than this. Mitchell is overdue for a breakout, and Utah's shooters—who've gone a combined 8-of-40 on wide-open threes—won't stay frigid forever.

The Jazz are a tricky matchup on their home floor, and their role players should get a boost from an exuberant crowd. Add what should be a better defensive game plan against Harden to the mix, and Utah will have the ingredients to score its first win of the series.