NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: TV, Live-Stream Coverage for Wednesday's Semis
The Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers take center stage under the NBA playoffs spotlight Wednesday.
Game 2 between the Northwest Division rivals is the only contest on the schedule Wednesday, as an extra day of rest is given to the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
The Nuggets captured Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal series Monday by eight points at home.
Going into Game 2, Denver holds a 4-1 record against Portland this season and has a four-game playoff home winning streak to its name.
Wednesday NBA Playoffs Schedule
Game 2: Portland at Denver (9 p.m. ET, TNT, TNTdrama.com)
Can Portland Contain Jokic?
Nikola Jokic had his way in the paint in Game 1 by scoring 37 points and hauling in nine rebounds.
The performance marked the sixth time Jokic eclipsed the 20-point mark in the postseason, and he's produced 101 points over his last three games.
Jokic's Game 1 showing also continued his string of success against the Blazers, as he scored 40 and 22 points in his last two regular-season meetings with Terry Stotts' team.
The Blazers don't have a like-for-like answer to Jokic's paint presence, which is why it is going to be difficult to contain him for the majority of the series.
With Jusuf Nurkic injured, Enes Kanter is the top option to defend Jokic on the Portland roster, but he is dealing with a shoulder injury.
Portland could try to commit Maurice Harkless or Al-Farouq Aminu to Jokic for stretches, but that could take them away from stopping Paul Millsap.
Even if Harkless or Aminu succeed against Jokic, Millsap or Torrey Craig could take advantage of a mismatch against Kanter or another big man.
Given the lack of ideal defensive options they have to stop Jokic, the Blazers have to hope to contain the Denver big man and stop the rest of the Nuggets players from catching fire.
If Portland limits the production of the four other players on the court, it gives it more of a chance to absorb the impact of Jokic and come away from the Pepsi Center with a victory.
Lillard Looking to Continue Terrific Playoff Form
Damian Lillard has been incredible throughout the NBA Playoffs.
The Portland guard has scored at least 24 points in each of his six playoff games, and his two top points totals have come in his last two games.
Lillard went off for 39 points in Game 1, but it wasn't enough to lead the Blazers to a victory.
As strange as it sounds for someone playing as well as Lillard, he could have performed even better Monday because he shot 4-for-12 from three-point range.
The fact that Lillard can improve on a 39-point performance should scare the daylights out of the Nuggets defenders.
Since he has been one of the top players in the postseason, Lillard is likely to have yet another terrific performance up his sleeve Wednesday.
But in order to take down the Nuggets, he needs a bit more out of his supporting cast.
Kanter filled the role of secondary scorer in Game 1 with 26 points, while Rodney Hood and C.J. McCollum had 17 and 16 points, respectively.
If the Blazers get similar production out of those three players, and one of Harkless or Aminu improve on the two points each scored in Game 1, Lillard should have enough firepower alongside him to go for the win in the final minutes.
But there is still a slight chance Lillard runs out of playoff magic in Game 2, as the Nuggets held him under 20 points on two occasions in the regular season.
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