NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: Tuesday TV Guide, Live-Stream Info and Picks
Three teams could see their seasons end with a loss Tuesday. The Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder face elimination. Will any of these clubs extend their series to Game 6?
The Nets and Magic may have poked sleeping giants in the East. Both underdogs stole Game 1 on the road and haven't been able to duplicate those performances for another victory. The Thunder failed to even their series at Chesapeake Energy Arena Sunday, and they're in danger of a third consecutive first-round exit.
Aside from the potential closeout contests, the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs have a pivotal Game 5 in split series. Thus far, the clubs have swapped wins and losses.
If the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers win their games against the Magic and Nets, they'll face each other in the semifinal round. Neither team can afford to look ahead with scrappy opponents on their floor.
Tuesday TV Guide and Live-Stream Information
Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors, 7 p.m. ET on NBA TV
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers, 8 p.m. ET on TNT, TNTDrama.com
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets, 9:30 p.m. ET NBA TV
Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT, TNTDrama.com
Orlando Magic at Toronto Raptors
This series has alternated single-digit and blowout outcomes. Coming off a 22-point victory, Toronto looks to close out this matchup at Scotiabank Arena.
Although the Raptors have firm control of the momentum, head coach Nick Nurse won't allow his team to take their foot off the pedal in Game 5, per Sportsnet's Dave Zarum. "The main thing that's in my head right now is that this team has come in and beat us on this floor once already," Nurse said. "So we need to do our best to take care of business."
If the Magic intend to extend the series, they'll need more from center Nikola Vucevic; he's averaging just 12.5 points per game on 38 percent shooting from the field. In his first All-Star campaign, the 7-footer averaged 20.8 points during the regular season.
The Raptors have done an excellent job double-teaming Vucevic, and forcing his teammates to compensate for the lack of offensive production. Overall, Orlando has struggled to find easy buckets and shot 39 percent from the floor through four contests.
With Vucevic out of rhythm, the Magic have little chance of escaping elimination. Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam will lead the Raptors to a 4-1 series victory. The duo has averaged a combined 50.3 points per contest in postseason play.
Prediction: Raptors 106, Magic 94
Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers
In what's become a competitive series complete with trash talk and an on-court skirmish, the Sixers and Nets continue their spirited battle at the Wells Fargo Center.
In Game 4, referees ejected Nets forward Jared Dudley and Sixers forward Jimmy Butler following a fracas that started with Joel Embiid's hard foul on Jarrett Allen:
Dudley and Butler will suit up for Game 5. The Sixers have put immense pressure on the Nets with a balanced offensive attack; six of their players average at least 11 points per contest, including Boban Marjanovic, who's logging significant minutes off the bench. Embiid has been limited to 25.6 minutes per outing likely because of knee soreness.
In Game 4, Embiid put together a playoff gem, logging 31 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists and six blocks. He's beat Allen on the glass on both ends of the court throughout the series. The two-time All-Star is probable for Tuesday's game.
Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson inserted forward Caris LeVert into the starting lineup Saturday; he finished with a team-high 25 points. We'll likely see him with the opening group Tuesday. The third-year forward is equipped to provide a boost in scoring, but the Nets have to find a way to slow down the postseason's top rebound squad.
Assuming Embiid suits up, the Nets won't have an answer for him. Sixers will win the series at home behind another strong performance from their starting unit.
Prediction: 76ers 110, Nets 105
San Antonio Spurs at Denver Nuggets
The Spurs stole Game 1 on the road to shock the No. 2-seeded Nuggets, who had the best regular-season home record (34-7) in the league. Going back to Denver with a 2-2 split, head coach Mike Malone's group can reclaim momentum.
The Nuggets took advantage in the series in Game 4 with accurate sharpshooting. Torrey Craig, Will Barton and Jamal Murray shot a combined 11-of-15 from beyond the arc. Through four contests, Denver is converting on 41 percent of its three-point attempts against the Spurs who've made the least amount triples (six) per contest during the postseason.
The Spurs have a solid trio of contributors in LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White, but they've scored on a combined 3-of-15 from three-point land. In a league that emphasizes spacing with a quicker pace, San Antonio still plays an outdated style.
Defensively, San Antonio has to chase Denver's shooters away from three-point territory. On the other end, head coach Gregg Popovich must use Davis Bertans, Patty Mills and Marco Belinelli to stretch the floor. The Spurs' advantage in playoff experience will likely become a crucial factor in this high-stakes contest; they'll take Game 5.
Prediction: Spurs 102, Nuggets 98
Oklahoma City Thunder at Portland Trail Blazers
Although Portland has home-court advantage as the No. 3 seed, it's somewhat surprising to see Oklahoma City struggle to crack 100 points in three of four outings with Paul George and Russell Westbrook leading the charge.
Westbrook and George are shooting below 38 percent from the floor. While inefficiency has hurt the Thunder, Blazers guards CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard have converted 46 and 44 percent of their field-goal attempts. Enes Kanter has filled in adequately for Jusuf Nurkic, who's out with compound leg fractures. The 26-year-old is averaging 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds in this series.
Along with his shooting woes, Westbrook completely disappeared in the second half of Game 4. According to ESPN.com's Royce Young, he scored one point on 0-of-7 shooting Sunday:
The Blazers would prefer Westbrook to shoot his way out of a rough patch—just ask forward Al-Farouq Aminu:
Westbrook has followed poor nights with strong performances in the past. Now facing elimination, expect him to resemble the same player from Games 1 and 3 in terms of scoring efficiency—converting 47 percent or better from the field in both contests. Oklahoma City rides its dynamic playmaker to a road win at the Moda Center.
Prediction: Thunder 108, Blazers 104
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