NBA Finals 2019: TV Times, Live Stream Schedule for Raptors vs. Warriors

The Toronto Raptors have disposed of the team with the best regular-season record in the NBA this campaign.

Now Toronto has to do the same thing to the two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors if it is going to win its first NBA title.

The Raptors came back from an 0-2 deficit against the Milwaukee Bucks to win four straight games and earn a victory in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Canada's NBA representative will have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals against the experienced Warriors. The series gets underway Thursday night at Scotiabank Arena.

2019 NBA Finals Schedule

All Times ET.

Game 1: Thursday, May 30 at Toronto (9 p.m., ABC)

Game 2: Sunday, June 2 at Toronto (8 p.m., ABC)

Game 3: Wednesday, June 5 at Golden State (9 p.m., ABC)

Game 4: Friday, June 7 at Golden State (9 p.m., ABC)

Game 5: Monday, June 10 at Toronto (9 p.m., ABC)*

Game 6: Thursday, June 13 at Golden State (9 p.m., ABC)*

Game 7: Sunday, June 16 at Toronto (8 p.m., ABC)*

*If necessary. All games can be live streamed at WatchESPN.

Durant Out to Start the Series

The Warriors will go into the series without superstar Kevin Durant, who has been out since injuring his calf in Game 5 of Golden State's second-round series against the Houston Rockets.

While that injury appeared to put the Warriors in jeopardy, they finished that series by beating the Rockets in six games and followed up by sweeping the Portland Trail Blazers in the Western Conference Finals.

Golden State has depended on Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to lead them during Durant's absence. Curry scored 35 points or more in each game against the Trail Blazers and had the answer every time Portland made a run at the Warriors.

Thompson may not be as gifted an outside shooter as Curry, but he is a superb all-around player who can score when the Warriors need him to and he is one of the best defensive players in the league. Thompson is averaging 19.1 points and 1.5 steals per game in the postseason, and he is also connecting on 92.0 percent of his free throws.

Green is one of the most valuable players on the team because he contributes in so many different areas. His ability to run the court and fill the lane on the break, hit the long shot when needed, play hard-nosed defense and bring intensity to the court on a full-time basis will make him a problem for Toronto head coach Nick Nurse and his players.

Durant's status for the series has still not been determined, but he won't play in the series opener and he may not travel with the team to Toronto. Big man DeMarcus Cousins is attempting to work his way back from a torn quadriceps, and head coach Steve Kerr said he is questionable.

"He's scrimmaged twice. He's working on his conditioning," Kerr said, per ESPN's Nick Friedell. "The good news is his body feels good, his quad feels good, but he's working his way back into shape and into rhythm, so this is not a simple dynamic for him, and I feel bad for him."

Leonard Leads Talented Toronto Cast 

Kawhi Leonard has been the dominant player in Toronto's playoff run, averaging 31.2 points and connecting on 50.7 percent of his shots from the field in the postseason. He hit the series-winning shot in Game 7 against the Philadelphia 76ers and imposed his will on the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals.

However, the Raptors are far from a one-man team, as Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol and Fred VanVleet have all played key roles throughout the postseason.

Lowry is averaging 14.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, while Siakam is scoring a robust 18.7 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. 

VanVleet came up big against the Bucks in Games 5 and 6, scoring 21 and 14 points, respectively. VanVleet connected on 11 of 14 three-point attempts in those two games, and if he can continue to shoot at anything close to that level, he will cause big problems for the Warriors.

Gasol is averaging 8.6 points and 6.1 rebounds during the playoffs.

Lowry wants the Raptors to focus on themselves and not the Golden State legacy. "We know who they are," Lowry said, per Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun. "We've got to go out there and do our job. Our biggest thing is preparing ourselves just to be prepared."

Warriors Favored by Oddsmakers

The Raptors may have pulled out an impressive victory over the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals, but they are still underdogs in the championship round.

Golden State has been installed as a -280 favorite in the series, while the Raptors are +230 underdogs, per VegasInsider.com. Those backing the Warriors have to risk $280 to win $100, while Raptors bettors will put up $100 to win $230.

Even though Golden State starts the series on the road, the Warriors are one-point favorites with an over/under total of 213.5 points in Game 1.