NBA Playoffs 2019: Full Round 1 Bracket Results and Semifinal Predictions

The Denver Nuggets were forced to fight deep into the seventh game to clinch their series, but they held off the San Antonio Spurs 90-86 Saturday night. 

The Nuggets never trailed in the game, and they were led by Nikola Jokic, who came through with a triple-double in the decisive game with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. Jamaal Murray had 23 points for Denver and hit a clutch runner in the final minute that gave Denver the final four-point margin.

There was a major sense of relief in the Denver locker room after the victory. "It took everybody," Murray said, per the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). "Most of all it took the fans. ... It's a great feeling, an amazing feeling. We're having a lot of fun. We're one group. We're united."

Denver advanced to the second round of the playoffs, and the Nuggets will host the Portland Trail Blazers. The series between the Nuggets and the Blazers was the only first-round series to get extended to seven games.

Updated NBA Postseason Bracket

Eastern Conference First Round

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks 4, No. 8 Detroit Pistons 0 (Bucks advance to second round)

No. 2 Toronto Raptors 4, No. 7 Orlando Magic 1 (Raptors advance to second round)

No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4, No. 6 Brooklyn Nets 1 (76ers advance to second round)

No. 4 Boston Celtics 4, No. 5 Indiana Pacers 0 (Celtics advance to second round)

Eastern Conference Second Round

No. 2 Toronto 108, No. 3 Philadelphia 95 (Toronto leads series 1-0)

No. 1 Milwaukee vs. No. 4 Boston, series gets underway Sunday, April 28

Western Conference First Round

No. 1 Golden State Warriors 4, No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 2 (Warriors advance to second round)

No. 2 Denver Nuggets 4, No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 3 (Nuggets advance to second round)

No. 3 Portland Trail Blazers 4 No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder 1 (Trail Blazers advance to second round)

No. 4 Houston Rockets 4, No. 5 Utah Jazz 1 (Rockets advance to the second round)

Western Conference Second round

No. 1 Golden State vs. No. 4 Houston, series gets underway Sunday, April 28

No. 2 Denver vs. No. 3 Portland, series gets underway Monday, April 29

(Upcoming NBA playoff schedule)

Saturday's playoff results

Eastern Conference, second round

Toronto 108, Philadelphia 95

Western Conference, first round

Denver 90, San Antonio 86

Sunday's playoff schedule

Eastern Conference, second round

Boston at Milwaukee, 1 p.m. ET, ABC, Game 1 of series

Western Conference, second round

Houston at Golden State, 3:39 p.m., ABC, Game 1 of series

Semifinal predictions

Toronto vs. Philadelphia

The Raptors took the first game of the series Saturday as the combination of Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam was just too much for the 76ers.

Leonard scored 45 points, while Siakam added 29 as the Raptors jumped out to an eight-point lead and kept the Sixers at a distance throughout the majority of the game.

Philadelphia has dropped its last 14 meetings north of the border, so the 76ers are going to have to put an end to that streak if they are going to survive the series since Toronto has home-court advantage.

JJ Redick and Joel Embiid scored 17 and 16 points, respectively, for the Sixers in the series-opening loss. Embiid played nearly 30 minutes in the loss, and while that's more than he played in the opening series against Brooklyn, he was not in dominant form.

He will have to be if the Sixers are going to survive and advance.

Prediction: Toronto 4, Philadelphia 2

Milwaukee vs. Boston

These teams met in the first round last year, and it took Boston seven games to get past Milwaukee.

This year, the Bucks have been the dominant regular-season team, and they not only have home-court advantage over the Celtics, they will have it in every postseason series.

It's going to be difficult for the Celtics to gain an edge in this series, as Giannis Antetokounmpo has the ability to take over a game at nearly any time. He averaged 26.3 points in the series sweep over Detroit, and he gets plenty of help from Eric Bledsoe (19.3 PPG) and Khris Middleton (19.0 PPG).

The Celtics played their best basketball in sweeping the Pacers, and they have the talent to force Milwaukee to dig deep in this series. Kyrie Irving did not play in last year's series, and his ability to handle the ball and get his own shot could make a difference in a couple of games in this series.

Irving averaged 22.5 points per game during the sweep, while Jayson Tatum scored 19.3. Marcus Morris, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford were all in double figures against the Pacers. If the Celtics can spread their offense around on a consistent basis, they would have a chance to win the series. However, the Bucks are the better team, and they are motivated to get past the team that eliminated them last year.

Prediction: Milwaukee 4, Boston 1

Golden State vs. Houston

The Rockets have been waiting a year for this series after falling in seven games to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals a year ago.

However, the Warriors know they are going to have to be better than they were a year ago, and they will also have to be a more consistent team than they were in the first round against the Clippers since they dropped two home games and were extended to six games.

Stephen Curry may not be at his peak after twisting an ankle and Klay Thompson sprained his ankle Friday night, but the key for the Warriors is Kevin Durant. He scored 50 points in the series-clinching win over the Clippers, and there is an unstoppable quality to his game.

Houston is depending on James Harden, Chris Paul and Eric Gordon to slow down the Golden State express. Harden is averaging 27.8 points per game after the first series, but his 37.4 shooting percentage has to get better or the Rockets won't get the win they so desperately want.

Prediction: Golden State 4, Houston 2

Denver vs. Portland

It took seven games, but the Nuggets finally got rid of the five-time champion San Antonio Spurs. The combination of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are quite formidable, and they were good enough to put the Spurs away.

While Jokic (23.1 PPG) and Murray (19.0 PPG) were near the top of their games in the opening round, the Trail Blazers may be another story. Portland was razor-sharp in beating the Thunder in five games, and the one-two punch of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum is playing sensational basketball.

Lillard had a 50-point game against the Thunder and is averaging 33.0 points per game, while McCollum is scoring 24.4. In addition to those two, Enes Kanter and Maurice Harkless averaged in double figures during the win over the Thunder.

Portland played its best basketball in the first round, and there's no reason to think the Blazers won't continue. Denver has home-court advantage, but Portland appears ready for this challenge.

Prediction: Portland 4, Denver 2