NBA Playoffs 2019: Game Times, TV, Live Stream Coverage and Picks for Tuesday
It's a twofer Tuesday in the NBA, as a pair of second-round series are set to wiggle out of their gridlocks.
The first four games couldn't create any separation in either matchup.
Both the Toronto Raptors-Philadelphia 76ers and Denver Nuggets-Milwaukee Bucks battles are knotted at two wins apiece. Moreover, the difference in series total scoring is single digits in either conference (Philly is plus-8, Denver is plus-2).
This is as close as postseason action can get, but that won't be the case much longer. With each series whittled down to a best of three, Tuesday's outcomes could go a long way toward determining who advances and who goes fishing.
After laying out the broadcast information, we'll peak into our crystal ball for predictions on each outing.
Tuesday NBA Playoff Schedule
Philadelphia 76ers at Toronto Raptors, 8 p.m. ET on TNT (Live Stream: Watch TNT)
Portland Trail Blazers at Denver Nuggets, 10:30 p.m. ET on TNT (Live Stream: Watch TNT)
76ers at Raptors
It's been a tale of two series for this matchup's biggest stars.
Kawhi Leonard has reached a cruising altitude only the best of the best can even see.
Each of his four performances this round has been a museum-quality masterpiece. Averaging a whopping 38.0 points per game is impressive enough. But doing it while putting together a 61.8/46.4/82.9 shooting slash and contributing 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists? That's on a different plane of superstardom.
"The stuff that he can do to create his own shot is Kobe-like, for me," Sixers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "He's just so gifted in relation to doing that."
Toronto has needed every ounce of this production, too.
The Raptors are plus-26 in the 160 minutes Leonard has played. To flip that around, they're minus-34 in the 32 minutes he hasn't.
While this looks like a dream series for Leonard, it's been mostly nightmarish for Joel Embiid.
Philly's All-Star center had one monster effort, totaling 33 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in a critical Game 3 win. But he made the same number of shots in that contest as he did the other three combined (nine).
Battling multiple illnesses and the feisty defense of Marc Gasol, Embiid has struggled to get himself going. Take Game 3 out of the equation and he's averaging just 13 points on 28.1 percent shooting, 7.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks.
"At the end of the day, it's on me," Embiid told reporters after Game 4. "I got to be more aggressive. ... I've got to help my teammates better."
Given the super-sized roles these two stars play, it'd be tough to pick against the one rolling at a ridiculous rate—especially when his club has home-court advantage.
Prediction: Raptors 103, 76ers 98
Trail Blazers at Nuggets
If Game 3's quadruple-overtime affair didn't make it evident enough, these teams are as evenly matched as they can be. Through 212 minutes of action, the series scoreboard reads Nuggets 464, Blazers 462.
As ESPN's Zach Lowe detailed, even the approach of these squads is strikingly similar:
"The Blazers and Nuggets are almost mirror images of each other. They lean slightly offense-first, and the series has leaned that way too. The combined score after four games is Denver by two. They tied for the league lead in offensive rebounding rate, and they rank first and second in this round. They both take care of the ball and force few turnovers, and this series has been predictably clean. They prefer a slow pace.
They build their offenses around deadly two-man games and run lots of the same actions. The series can feel like an endless series of pick-and-rolls and handoffs on one side of the floor—with no other players on that same side."
While Nikola Jokic is Denver's clear leader, Jamal Murray is usually the best barometer of its success.
If the scoring point guard is making his shots, this team is tough to beat. To that end, he shot 51.4 percent overall and 46.2 percent outside in the Nuggets' two victories. In the losses, those percentages plummeted to 40 and 30, respectively.
The Blazers don't have such a clear indicator of their performance.
They lost Damian Lillard's best scoring performance this series (39 in Game 1). They lost on CJ McCollum's best shooting night (50 percent from the field and three in Game 4). There's almost no difference in Portland's bench scoring during wins (32 points per game) and losses (27.5). Maurice Harkless and Al-Farouq Aminu, often barometers for this bunch, have been off from outside all series (4-of-22 combined).
It feels like Lillard hasn't quite put his stamp on this series, which sounds funny when he's reached 28 points in three of the four contests. But he's the most potent scorer on either roster, and he could power Portland into the conference finals with a couple of fiery performances.
Our crystal ball, by the way, displays no prediction for this contest, only a coin flipping over and over. So, we'll go with our gut and say a signature showing from Lillard helps the Blazers swipe home court.
Prediction: Blazers 114, Nuggets 111
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
