NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: Game Times, TV and Live-Stream Coverage for Friday
It's a tiebreaking, two-game slate on the docket for Friday's NBA playoff action.
First, the fourth-seeded Boston Celtics head home hoping to take their second series lead on the top-seeded Boston Celtics. Then, the third-seeded Portland Trail Blazers look to make it two wins in a row over the second-seeded Denver Nuggets.
After laying out the scheduling particulars for the evening, we'll take a closer look at both matchups.
Friday NBA Playoff Schedule
Game 3—Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN (Stream: WatchESPN)
Game 3—Denver Nuggets at Portland Trail Blazers, 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (Stream: WatchESPN)
Bucks at Celtics
Even though this series is knotted at one game apiece, its next close contest will be its first.
The Celtics drew first blood with a 22-point victory. The Bucks nearly matched that with a 21-point triumph the next time out.
So far, the difference has been which club's stars look the part.
In Boston's Game 1 win, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford combined for 46 points on 54.1 percent shooting and 14 assists. In the Celtics' loss, those numbers plummeted to 24 on 35.7 and seven.
"We learned our lesson in Game 1," Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova told reporters. "We have to be more tough now."
Milwaukee also needed more from its All-Stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, who managed only 38 points on 33 shots. But by Game 2, the pair had converted 34 field-goal attempts into 57 points.
"Everyone knew Game 1 was not going to repeat itself," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. "They deserved to win."
Either duo is potent enough to control a contest on its own. But both have the talent to cancel each other out, too.
If that's the case, this might come down to which support players rise to the occasion. Namely, the Celtics need a lot more out of Jayson Tatum (nine points, 4-of-17 shooting) and the Bucks are looking for the same from Brook Lopez (13 points on 15 shots in the series, minus-12 in 24 minutes of Game 2).
Nuggets at Blazers
The Nuggets won pretty in the series-opener, riding 37 points and six assists from All-Star center Nikola Jokic en route to a 121-point eruption. That proved more than enough to help them overcome 113 points on 51.9 percent shooting (37.9 from range) from the Blazers.
But Game 2 was not-for-the-squeamish ugly. Neither club cracked triple digits, or shot even 43 percent from the field (or 32 percent from distance).
The Blazers not only showed they can triumph in a grind-it-out affair, but they also won despite poor showings from Damian Lillard (14 points, 5-of-17) and CJ McCollum (20 points on 20 shots). They can thank Enes Kanter (15 points, nine boards), Rodney Hood (15 points) and a much-improved defensive showing for that.
Portland had no answers for the Jokic-Jamal Murray two-man game in the opener. The team was more than ready for round two, though, blitzing Jokic and using the length of Maurice Harkless, Hood and Evan Turner to disrupt Denver's pick-and-roll ball-handlers.
As the series shifts to the Pacific Northwest on Friday, the Blazers need to make their home-court advantage matter. While Portland dominated at home (32-9), Denver protected its house better than anyone (34-7). The Blazers can take this series just by winning out at the Moda Center, but the Nuggets can reclaim the upper hand with at least one more victory before heading back to the Pepsi Center.
Denver needs star-level production from Jokic to triumph, but the 22-year-old Murray is often the best barometer of this team's success. He was a different shooter in wins (46.2/39.7/85.6) and losses (38.9/29.9/83.1) during the regular season, and that same script has carried over into this series (8-of-15 in Game 1, 6-of-18 in Game 2).
For Portland, it's all about getting positive contributions from "the others." Lillard and McCollum are ignitable scorers, so the Blazers know either (or both) can put this club on their back. There's less certainty with the supporting cast, making repeat performances from Kanter, Hood and Zach Collins (10 points on 5-of-6 shooting) potential difference-makers.
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