NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: TV, Live-Stream Guide for Thursday's Game 6 Matchup
Two first-round series of the NBA playoffs are ongoing, but one of them could end Thursday night.
The Denver Nuggets lead the San Antonio Spurs 3-2 entering Thursday's Game 6 matchup in San Antonio. The other series still going is also in the Western Conference, as the Golden State Warriors have a 3-2 lead over the Los Angeles Clippers entering Friday's Game 6 in Los Angeles.
It's surprising that the two-time defending NBA champion Warriors haven't finished this series yet, as they lost at home for the second time this postseason when they dropped Game 5 on Wednesday night.
Over the next few days, the Warriors and Nuggets, the top two seeds in the Western Conference, will look to avoid being upset in the first round.
Thursday Schedule (All Times ET)
Game 6: Denver at San Antonio, 8 p.m., TNT or Watch TNT
Thursday Preview
Although this Game 6 matchup is in San Antonio, where the Spurs have dominated this season, the Nuggets have shown they're capable of winning there. They notched a 117-103 win in Game 4 on the road.
After that, Denver took a 3-2 series lead with a 108-90 win at home on Tuesday night. The Nuggets were down 2-1 in the series, but they've bounced back to take control with their back-to-back victories.
The Spurs went 32-9 in San Antonio during the regular season, and they won Game 3 on their home court. However, the Nuggets' victory snapped their 14-game losing streak in San Antonio, which spanned seven years.
"Closing out an opponent like San Antonio, in their home gym, is gonna be one of the hardest things we've ever tried to do," Denver coach Michael Malone said, according to the Denver Post's Mike Singer. "We can't also play like, 'Well, we have Game 7 at home.' We have to be all in on Game 6. I think our guys understand what's at stake."
The Nuggets haven't won a playoff series since winning a Western Conference semifinals matchup with the Dallas Mavericks in 2009.
After missing the playoffs the previous five seasons, Denver is on the cusp of ending its drought.
However, the Spurs are focused on not just extending the series to Game 7, they are also looking to advance to the second round.
"We want to win two straight," San Antonio guard Bryn Forbes said, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "That's our goal, to play the best two games we can put together and try to win these next two."
The Spurs, who have made the playoffs 22 consecutive seasons and have consistently been one of the best teams in the Western Conference over that span, is looking to avoid being eliminated in the first round for the third time in five years. Last season, they lost to the Warriors in five games in the opening round.
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