NBA Playoffs 2020: Remaining Conference Finals Schedule, Odds and Predictions

The Miami Heat are one win away from returning to the NBA Finals. And with the way they have played throughout the playoffs, getting another victory may not be a problem.

On Wednesday, the Heat held on for a 112-109 win over the Boston Celtics to take a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals and improve their record in these playoffs to 11-2. The last time the Miami reached the NBA Finals was 2014, which was its last season with LeBron James, who led the Heat to four straight Finals appearances and two NBA titles.

In the Western Conference Finals, the Los Angeles Lakers have a 2-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets heading into Thursday night's Game 4.

Here's a look at the schedule for the remainder of the conference finals round, NBA title odds and predictions for how the rest of these series will go.

Remaining Conference Finals Schedule

Thursday, Sept. 24

Game 4: No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers at No. 3 Denver Nuggets, 9 p.m. ET, TNT

Friday, Sept. 25

Game 5: No. 5 Miami Heat at No. 3 Boston Celtics, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Saturday, Sept. 26

Game 5: No. 3 Denver Nuggets at No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, 9 p.m. ET, TNT

Sunday, Sept. 27

Game 6 (if necessary): No. 3 Boston Celtics at No. 5 Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

Monday, Sept. 28

Game 6 (if necessary): No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers at No. 3 Denver Nuggets, TBD, TNT

Wednesday, Sept. 30

Game 7 (if necessary): No. 3 Denver Nuggets at No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers, TBD, TNT

NBA Title Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: -300 (bet $300 to win $100)

Miami Heat: +350 (bet $100 to win $350)

Denver Nuggets: +1400

Boston Celtics: +1500

Odds obtained via FanDuel.

Conference Finals Predictions

Heat Win Game 5, Advance To NBA Finals

The Celtics are a strong team, and they have had a solid showing in the playoffs. They swept the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round and then outlasted the Toronto Raptors, the defending NBA champions, in seven games in the second.

However, the Heat are the hottest team in the NBA. And they are going to waste no time finishing off the Eastern Conference Finals and beginning their preparation for the NBA Finals. Expect them to win the series with a victory in Friday's Game 5.

In Game 4, Miami showcased how dangerous it can be when all its top players are locked in. Jimmy Butler had 24 points and nine rebounds, Goran Dragic had 22 points and Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 12 rebounds while battling shoulder soreness. But the most impressive performance came from 20-year-old rookie guard Tyler Herro, who scored 37 points on 14-for-21 shooting coming off the bench.

Herro has been a consistent scorer throughout the postseason, but he took it to another level Wednesday. And as he keeps gaining playoff experience, perhaps these types of performances will become more frequent.

It may be unlikely that Herro scores that many points again Friday, but he should keep playing valuable minutes off the bench for Miami, which continues to have balanced scoring efforts in taking down Boston.

The Heat are peaking at the right time, and that's going to take them into the NBA Finals.

Lakers Bounce Back, Take Down Nuggets in 5 Games

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

In each series in these playoffs, the Lakers have had one misstep. In the first two rounds, that happened in Game 1, as they quickly fell behind before reeling off four straight victories against first the Portland Trail Blazers and then the Houston Rockets to advance.

This time, Los Angeles opened the Western Conference Finals with two straight wins. Then Denver notched a 114-106 win in Game 3 to halve L.A.'s series lead. And with this Nuggets team, that wasn't a surprise. They overcame a 3-1 deficit in each of their first two series.

That's not how things are going to go this time, though, because the Lakers are the best team remaining in the playoffs. With the leadership and talent of James and Anthony Davis, they will bounce back from their first loss of the series with wins in Games 4 and 5 to send Los Angeles to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.

In Game 3, the Lakers had 16 turnovers that led to 25 points for the Nuggets. And that was an area they were already looking to improve on prior to that showing.

"It's not going to be winning ingredients for us if we continue to do that," James said, according to Field Level Media (h/t ESPN). "And we knew that, even after Game 2, we talked about that, trying to assure that. Got to be better than that Game 4."

Because this Los Angeles team is so talented, it will be. Denver will continue to play competitively, but it won't be enough to stop the Lakers, who have been the best team in the West all season and are poised to represent the conference in the NBA Finals.