NBA Playoffs 2020: Friday's Game Times, TV, Live Stream Coverage and Picks

There are no two sweeter words in the NBA lexicon than "Game Seven," and the basketball gods are delivering another potential instant-classic on Friday night.

It's win-or-go-fishing for both the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, who needed two overtime periods to decide their last matchup, a 125-122 nail-biting, season-saving win for the defending champs.

Can the Raptors bottle up that momentum and use it to propel themselves back into the conference finals? Or will the Celtics bring their best with their backs against the ropes and make their third conference finals appearance in four years? Out West, can the Los Angeles Clippers secure their second series win, or will the Denver Nuggets live to fight another day?

After providing all the scheduling particulars for both matchups, we'll spotlight both contests on Friday's slate and predict how they'll play out.

Friday, Sept. 11 NBA Playoff Schedule and Broadcast Coverage

Western Conference Semifinals

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Clippers | Game 5

Series: Clippers lead 3-1

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Watch TNT

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors | Game 7

Series: Tied 3-3

Time: 9 p.m. ET

TV: TNT

Live Stream: Watch TNT

Predictions

Nuggets vs. Clippers

The Nuggets don't have the best player in this series. Nikola Jokic is spectacular—Doc Rivers dubbed him "the best passing big that I've seen" and likened him to Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin McHale—but he's not Kawhi Leonard.

They don't have the top duo, either. Jamal Murray can ignite at any time—he cleared 40 points three times in the first round—but consistency has never been his strength. Paul George has struggled with his shot for much of the postseason, but his defensive impact is always substantial, and he contributes on the glass and as a secondary playmaker.

Denver's challenge, then, is forming the top trio and any player grouping beyond that. It's a challenge for the entire supporting cast (and the coaches), but it starts with rookie forward Michael Porter Jr., the Nuggets' next-best shot-creator and a potent producer when he's hot.

"[Jokic and Murray] are two amazing players, but I just think to beat them we need to get more players involved," Porter told reporters. "We have to move the ball a little bit better. We can't be predictable against that team."

The Nuggets are scrambling to find a counter punch, because they find themselves in a 3-1 hole for the second straight series. And while they dug their way out of it against the Utah Jazz, the Clippers are in a different weight class.

Denver can make things interesting. After getting torched by 23 points in the opener, the Nuggets have only scored eight fewer points than the Clippers the last three games combined. Saying that, they're fighting an uphill battle against a better roster. Porter might have stardom in his future, but needing him to be a difference-maker as a 22-year-old freshman speaks to the challenges of this series.

Leonard, who went for 33 points, 14 rebounds, seven assists and five steals while knocking the Dallas Mavericks out of the first round, will do everything in his power to not let this opportunity slip away. If he gets rolling, it's hard to see the Nuggets finding enough firepower to keep up.

Prediction: Clippers 114, Nuggets 108

Celtics vs. Raptors

The Celtics have sent a few hints that they're the top team in this series. They have the only two wins decided by more than seven points, and each of those was an 18-plus-point triumph. They also clobbered the Raptors by 22 points during the seeding games.

But Toronto has something—Hollywood might call it the heart of a champion—that has kept it in the fight. Despite being down 2-0 and 3-2, the Raptors have found their way to a Game 7, once winning by way of an incredible buzzer-beater and most recently surviving a two-overtime nail-biter.

"That is what we do," Kyle Lowry told reporters after the Game 6 win. "We work hard and we play every possession like it is our last and find ways to pull out victories."

The Raptors don't beat themselves. They have the postseason's second-best defense and second-lowest turnover percentage.

Their whole is equal than the sum of its parts, and that always makes for a tricky matchup. But the Celtics have the better individual parts, and that gives them a wider margin for error.

They have star power the Raptors can't match, and that's true even with Gordon Hayward out with a sprained ankle. Their first win featured 18 points and 10 assists from Kemba Walker. Their next saw Jayson Tatum pop for 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Their latest had Jaylen Brown turning 18 field-goal attempts into 27 points.

They have scorers who can consistently win half-court matchups, and the Raptors don't have the same. Maybe Toronto's intangibles and Nick Nurse's coaching creativity can overcome that, but this feels like a game where one of Boston's stars leans on his individual expertise to power this team into the conference finals.

Prediction: Celtics 107, Raptors 104