NBA Playoff Schedule 2020: Updated Dates, Game Times, Live Stream and Picks

The first ticket to the 2020 conference finals has been punched.

The fifth-seeded Miami Heat completed their upset of the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks with a 103-94 win in Game 5, which reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo missed with an ankle injury. The Heat advance to their first conference finals since 2014, and they'll now await the winner of the Toronto Raptors-Boston Celtics series.

But that leaves three more conference championship-round berths up for grabs, and one could be clinched as soon as Wednesday. We'll get to the particulars on that, plus the upcoming schedule and second-round predictions below.

Remaining Conference Semifinals Schedule

Eastern Conference

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 3 Boston Celtics | Celtics lead 3-2

Game 6: Wed. Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN and Watch ESPN App

Game 7*: Fri. Sept. 11, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 4 Houston Rockets | Lakers lead 2-1

Game 4: Thurs. Sept. 10, 7 p.m. ET on TNT and TNTDrama.com

Game 5: Sat. Sept. 12, TBD on ESPN and Watch ESPN App

Game 6*: Mon. Sept. 14, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

Game 7*: Wed. Sept. 16, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 3 Denver Nuggets | Clippers lead 2-1

Game 4: Wed. Sept 9, 9 p.m. ET on ESPN and Watch ESPN App

Game 5: Fri. Sept. 11, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

Game 6*: Sun. Sept. 13, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

Game 7*: Tues. Sept. 15, TBD on TNT and TNTDrama.com

*if necessary

TBD = to be determined

Key Postseason Dates

September 15: Conference finals begin

September 30: NBA Finals begin

October 13: Latest possible date for NBA Finals

Conference Semifinals Predictions

Raptors vs. Celtics

Toronto miraculously escaped certain playoff death with OG Anunoby's miracle make to swipe Game 3 away from Boston, and the Raptors rode that momentum to a 100-93 triumph in Game 4 to even the series.

But the Celtics' response in Game 5 might have given them control of the series, and not just in the sense they have reclaimed the lead at 3-2. Whether you saw it as a dominant defensive effort by the Shamrocks or an abysmal offensive showing by the Raptors—it was probably a little of both—it felt like one team separating from the other.

"We were playing with great purpose," Celtics coach Brad Stevens told reporters. "You could feel that from the get-go."

The Celtics have outscored the Raptors by 35 points through five games. Boston has three of the top-four scorers in this series (Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker and Jaylen Brown), and it has held Toronto to three of the four lowest-scoring games in the matchup. Maybe the defending champs can conjure up another miracle, but this seems like the Celtics' series to lose.

Prediction: Celtics win in six.

Lakers vs. Rockets

The Lakers lost Game 1 of this series on a night when their stars weren't blindingly bright and their supporting cast couldn't buy a bucket. Where have we heard that before?

Oh yeah, that's how their first-round tussle with the Portland Trail Blazers opened too, before LeBron James and Anthony Davis powered the Purple and Gold to four straight victories—each decided by at least eight points.

Will recent history repeat itself? Yes and no.

Yes, in the sense that the Lakers remain the logical choice to escape this series. No, in that the Rockets have enough firepower to put a couple more victories on their ledger before it's all said and done.

James Harden hasn't had a 40-point outburst in these playoffs; considering he cleared that number 21 times in the regular season, he could change that at any minute. Russell Westbrook's return to form in Game 3 (30 points, eight boards and six assists) might signal a statistical barrage coming sooner than later.

Houston can get red-hot, and L.A.'s role players can go ice-cold. But as simple as this analysis sounds, the fact that one team has James and Davis and the other does not could be the deciding factor in which one survives a likely lengthy series.

Prediction: Lakers in seven.

Clippers vs. Nuggets

It's OK to admit it: When the Clippers thumped the Nuggets by a 120-97 count in Game 1, you thought this series was finished. We all did.

Then, Denver steamrolled to a 44-point first quarter in Game 2 and effectively rode that hot start to the finish line. While L.A. rallied to take Game 3, the Nuggets put up much more resistance and entered the fourth quarter with a lead they'd eventually relinquish in a 113-107 loss.

The Nuggets won't beat themselves. The Clippers need to earn their spot in the conference finals.

Luckily, they have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to get them there. Each has at least a 29-point performance so far—Leonard had 29 in the opener, George netted 32 in Game 3—and they haven't combined their powers in the same matchup yet.

As good as Nikola Jokic is and Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. can be, the Leonard-George combo feels like an insurmountable edge in this series.

Prediction: Clippers in six.