NBA Playoff Schedule 2019: Updated Dates, Game Times, Live Stream and Picks
The second round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs has exceeded all expectations so far.
Each of the four series have delivered memorable games, and all eight franchises have a legitimate path to the conference finals.
Sunday's road victories by Toronto and Denver leveled their respective series with Philadelphia and Portland at two games apiece.
Milwaukee and Golden State carry 2-1 series leads over Boston and Houston, respectively, into Monday's set of games.
NBA Playoff Schedule
All Times ET
Monday, May 6
Game 4: Milwaukee at Boston (7 p.m., TNT)
Game 4: Golden State at Houston (9:30 p.m., TNT)
Tuesday, May 7
Game 5: Philadelphia at Toronto (8 p.m., TNT)
Game 5: Portland at Denver (10:30 p.m., TNT)
Wednesday, May 8
Game 5: Boston at Milwaukee (8 p.m., TNT)
Game 5: Houston at Golden State (10:30 p.m., TNT)
Thursday, May 9
Game 6: Toronto at Philadelphia (TBD, ESPN)
Game 6: Denver at Portland (TBD, ESPN)
Friday, May 10
Game 6: Milwaukee at Boston (TBD, ESPN)*
Game 6: Golden State at Houston (TBD, ESPN)*
Sunday, May 12
Game 7: Philadelphia at Toronto (TBD, TNT)*
Game 7: Houston at Golden States (TBD, TV TBD)*
Game 7: Portland at Denver (TBD, TV TBD)*
Monday, May 13
Game 7: Boston at Milwaukee (TBD, TNT)*
Games can be live-streamed on Watch ESPN or TNTdrama.com.
* -- if necessary.
Picks
Eastern Conference: Boston and Toronto
The Toronto Raptors changed the course of their series with the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday by earning a road win at Wells Fargo Center.
With home-court advantage back in play and Kawhi Leonard playing as well as anyone left in the postseason, the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference is in great position to take charge of the series Tuesday.
The Sixers have not found a way to stop Leonard, who is averaging 38 points per game in the series.
Philadelphia did not do itself any favors in Game 4, as poor shot selection and a struggling Joel Embiid hurt its chances of going up 3-1 in the series.
Embiid shot 28 percent from the field and had a minimal impact in the scoring column with 11 points in Game 4.
Tobias Harris, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler combined to shoot 21-for-51 from the field to doom the Sixers' chances of winning in the fourth quarter.
Too many things have to change for the Sixers to get back on top in the series, and as long as Leonard continues to produce at a high level, Brett Brown's team will struggle to finish off the Raptors.
Boston needs to rebound from its Game 3 loss at home in order to take down the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
Although the Celtics are down a game to the Bucks, they have a well-rounded roster that is capable of taking control of the series.
The key for Boston is to stop Milwaukee's three-point shooting. In Game 3, the Bucks knocked down 15 three-point shots, with seven of them coming from bench players.
If the Celtics continue to have five to six players reach double digits in points and shut down Milwaukee's threat from beyond the arc, they should be in good shape to regain the advantage in the series.
Western Conference: Golden State and Denver
You have to give credit to Denver for coming back from a defeat in quadruple overtime to win Game 4 and level its series with Portland.
The Nuggets are the most fatigued team left in the postseason after they had one day off between Game 7 against San Antonio and Game 1 versus Portland.
The four-overtime thriller in Game 3 did not help Denver's energy levels, but it did not seem to be a major issue in Sunday's bounce-back victory.
Denver once again shut down Portland's interior scoring in Game 4, as Enes Kanter and Maurice Harkless combined for nine points.
Nikola Jokic took a backseat to Jamal Murray in the scoring column, as the Kentucky product led all scorers with 34 points.
By cutting off Portland's production in the paint and having Jokic, Murray and Paul Millsap score over 20 points each, Denver found a strategy that could work for the rest of the series.
Portland is still dangerous because Damian Lillard can take over a game in an instant, but the Blazers need more out of their supporting cast to stay in the series.
Golden State may have lost Game 3 to Houston, but it is still in good shape to move on to the next round.
Kevin Durant, who scored 46 points in Game 3, is playing on another level that no one has been able to match on a consistent basis, except for Leonard over in the East.
The Warriors need to clean up more on the glass in order to take Game 4 in Houston. In Game 3, Steve Kerr's team gave up 17 offensive rebounds to the Rockets.
If Golden State is able to limit Houston's second-chance opportunities and knock down a few more three-pointers in transition, it should come back home with a chance to clinch the series and earn some valuable time off before the Western Conference Finals.
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