The 2019 NBA Playoffs are rolling along and round two of the action is drawing near. Before we get there, a number of first-round matchups still have to be decided. Of the eight opening-round matchups, two were clean 4-0 sweeps in the best-of-seven series. On Sunday, the Boston Celtics completed a sweep of the Indiana Pacers, becoming the first team to advance to the second round. But their prize for going without a loss in round one is a date with the other team completed a sweep in the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo and company rolled past the Detroit Pistons. Beyond that, the Western Conference has featured some drama, but James Harden and the Houston Rockets have gotten the job done in impressive fashion aside from a Game 4 slip-up. They advanced past the Utah Jazz following a Game 5 victory. We’re going to take a look at the updated bracket and playoff picture, along with potential second-round matchups. A few of the matchups don’t have a clear favorite currently, but we’ll receive clarity on those soon. Updated 2019 NBA Playoff Bracket *Note: Bracket will be updated as teams advance and second-round matchups are officially set. All bracket information comes courtesy of NBA.com. Updated NBA Playoff Matchups: Second-Round Outlook We’re now set with an interesting round-two matchup on the top of the Eastern Conference bracket. Giannis and the No. 1 seed Bucks will hold homecourt advantage against the No. 4 Celtics and Kyrie Irving, which is the first second-round series that’s set. Milwaukee was able to close their series against Detroit out on Monday with a clean sweep, while the Rockets are one win away from advancing as well. The Golden State Warriors have advanced past the Los Angeles Clippers with a Game 6 victory on the road. The Warriors will face the Rockets, who advanced after defeating the Utah Jazz in Game 5. By the end of the upcoming week, each series will be wrapped up, with the last of any potential Game 7 matchups coming on Sunday, April 28. Second-Round NBA Playoff Matchup Predictions On the Western Conference side, it’s a matchup between the Warriors and Rockets in the semifinals. The other matchup remains up in the air, but the Portland Trail Blazers wrapped up the series after a Damian Lillard game-winner in Game 5. Beyond that, the San Antonio Spurs have given the Denver Nuggets everything they can handle. While Gregg Popovich’s squad looks more than capable of pulling off the upset, I’m going to pick the Nuggets, but it’s easy to see this as a seven-game series. Western Conference Prediction (1) Golden State Warriors vs. (4) Houston Rockets (3) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (2) Denver Nuggets The Eastern Conference is locked in with the top-four seeds moving on. Both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors turned it on after dropping the series opener of their respective series, winning four straight to advance. The East is about what was expected heading into round two. Eastern Conference Prediction (1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (4) Boston Celtics (3) Philadelphia 76ers vs. (2) Toronto Raptors READ NEXT: Kevin Durant Leaving Warriors? Top Free Agent Suitors<doc-sep>× Expand Photo credit: Fiserv Forum Following a 4-0 sweep of the Detroit Pistons in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs on Monday, the Milwaukee Bucks already knew their Second Round opponent would be the Boston Celtics. But, they didn't know how long they'd have to wait for Game 1 of the Second Round pending the results of the other playoff series' and the results of the Boston Bruins' NHL playoff series, which would impact scheduling at the TD Garden, Boston's multi-purpose arena. The wait is over. On Wednesday, April 24, the Bucks released the full Second Round schedule. The Bucks will tip-off their Second Round series against the Boston Celtics at Fiserv Forum on Sunday, April 28, at noon. The game will air nationally on ABC. Sunday is a busy day in Milwaukee sports as the Milwaukee Wave will play for a spot in the Finals of the Major Arena Soccer League playoffs at 2:05 p.m. at UWM Panther Arena and the Brewers will finish a three game road series at the New York Mets with first pitch set for 12:10 p.m. The two teams will return to Fiserv Forum for Game 2 on Tuesday, April 30, before taking the series to Boston for Game 3 on Friday, May 3, and Game 4 on Monday, May 6. Tip-off times for Games 2-7 will be announced at a later date. The complete schedule for the Bucks and Celtics’ Second Round series is below. * - If necessary Deer District Watch Parties Those who aren’t attending a game can once again come to Deer District and party with fellow Bucks fans on the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum, in The Beer Garden and throughout the Entertainment Block. For each game of the Second Round – home or away – a 40-foot high TV will be placed on the plaza for fans to watch each game, in addition to the outdoor TV already in place in The Beer Garden. Stay on top of the news of the day Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays. SIGN UP There also will be food, games, a DJ, retail shops, contests to win playoff tickets and more set up on the plaza, turning it into the must-be spot for Bucks playoff action. Activities on the plaza in front of Fiserv Forum will open two hours prior to each home playoff game and one hour before each road game. Giveaways All fans in attendance at Game 1 will receive a “Built to Advance” green or white T-shirt courtesy of We Energies and Palermo’s, while all fans at Game 2 will receive a white “Fear the Deer” shirt courtesy of Jockey.<doc-sep>The Portland Trail Blazers have punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Blazers will play the winner of the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets. Portland’s playoff schedule for the next round will be announced once the matchup has been finalized. Damian Lillard has been one of the best players in the NBA playoffs through the first round. Lillard believes the adversity the team has overcome played a big role in their play so far in the postseason. “When we had our backs against the wall dealing with those injuries, we trusted each other, we leaned on each other more,” Lillard told NBA.com. “It just made us better in the long run, instead of us saying ‘We got some injuries, Dame you gotta average 35 and do all this extra stuff,’ instead of that the mentality was, ‘Let’s keep the ball moving, make the right plays defensively and let’s just be a better unit.’ Instead of turning to me or somebody else to score a bunch of points. We just made it a group thing and I think that was for our team.” The Blazers went just 1-3 against the Nuggets during the regular season. Portland played better against San Antonio splitting the season series 2-2. The Spurs-Nuggets series can end as soon as Thursday, April 25th. If a Game 7 is necessary, it would take place Saturday, April 27th. We expect to know the exact Blazers playoff schedule at the conclusion of the Spurs-Nuggets series. Here’s a look at the potential second-round dates for the Blazers. Blazers Playoff Schedule: Second Round The Blazers’ first game of the second round will be no later than Tuesday, April 30th. The second round of the NBA playoffs is scheduled to start on April 29th, but could be moved up to April 27th depending on when the first round ends. Here is a look at the second round dates and times, per Sports Media Watch. We will update the Blazers schedule once it has been finalized. Monday, April 29 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Tuesday, April 30 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Wednesday, May 1 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Thursday, May 2 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, May 3 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Saturday, May 4 TBD vs. TBD 5:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) TBD vs. TBD 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Sunday, May 5 TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) Monday, May 6 TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Tuesday, May 7 *TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) *TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Wednesday, May 8 *TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (TNT) *TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Thursday, May 9 *TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) *TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, May 10 *TBD vs. TBD 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) *TBD vs. TBD 10:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) Sunday, May 12 *TBD vs. TBD 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) *If necessary<doc-sep>Ezra Shaw/Getty Images With the San Antonio Spurs forcing a Game 7 against the Denver Nuggets with a convincing 120-103 win Thursday night on their home court, there's plenty of evidence that the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs is still competitive. Especially in the Western Conference. All four teams (Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors) in the Eastern Conference are ready to begin their respective second-round matchups, but for four teams in the West, progression is still up for grabs. In addition to the winner-take-all final game between the Spurs and the Nuggets, there's the no-love-lost battle between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers, who kept their playoff hopes alive with a big 129-121 win in Oracle Arena on Wednesday night. Here's the latest on the NBA playoff bracket, a guide for postseason television coverage (per Sports Media Watch) and a quick look at Friday and Saturday's big games. NBA Playoff Bracket: Eastern Conference Video Play Button Videos you might like First Round No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks 4, No. 8 Detroit Pistons 0 No. 4 Boston Celtics 4, No. 5 Indiana Pacers 0 No. 3 Philadelphia 76ers 4, No. 6 Brooklyn Nets 1 No. 2 Toronto Raptors 4, No. 7 Orlando Magic 1 Second Round Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors Conference Finals Winners of second-round matchups face off. Higher seed has home-court advantage. NBA Playoff Bracket: Western Conference First Round No. 1 Golden State Warriors 3, No. 8 Los Angeles Clippers 2 No. 4 Houston Rockets 4, No. 5 Utah Jazz 1 No. 3 Portland Trailblazers 4, No. 6 Oklahoma City Thunder 1 No. 2 Denver Nuggets 3, No. 7 San Antonio Spurs 3 Second Round Portland vs. Denver/San Antonio winner Houston vs. Golden State/L.A. winner Conference Finals Winners of second-round matchups face off. Higher seed has home-court advantage. NBA Finals Eastern Conference winner vs. Western Conference winner. Team with better regular-season record has home-court advantage. NBA Playoff TV Schedule: Confirmed Games Friday, April 26 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN: Warriors at Clippers Saturday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT: Sixers at Raptors Saturday, April 27 at 10:00 p.m. ET on TNT: Spurs at Nuggets Sunday, April 28 at 1 p.m. on ABC: Celtics at Bucks NBA Playoff TV Schedule: Unconfirmed Games Sunday, April 28: Clippers at Warriors, Rockets at Warriors. Clippers at Warriors will be played on this day if necessary. Times have not been announced. NBA Playoff Round Dates Second Round: Saturday, April 27, through Monday, May 13 (if necessary) Conference Finals: Tuesday, May 14, through Sunday, May 26 (if necessary) NBA Finals: Thursday, May 30, through Sunday, June 16 (if necessary) Game 6 Matchup Breakdown Will Clippers Continue to Defy Expectations? Somehow, someway, the Clippers are managing to find ways to get the better of the Warriors in these NBA playoffs. On the same night that the Rockets advanced to the second round by dispatching the Jazz 4-1, L.A. staved off elimination by sending a message to Golden State on its own home court. And the two biggest reasons why are the play of Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams. It's never happened in the history of the league, but this dynamic duo off the Clippers' bench deserve to share the 2019 NBA Sixth Man of the Year award. They ran a pick-and-roll clinic against the Warriors on Wednesday night and combined for 57 points and 12 assists. For the series, Williams is averaging 24.4 points a contest, and Golden State seems to have no idea how to stop him from scoring. Then there's the mental battle that's being waged and won by Patrick Beverley. Beverley had a strong showing with 17 points and 14 rebounds, but it was his ability to frustrate and agitate Golden State that really made an impact. The former Arkansas guard normally tries to get in Kevin Durant's head, but he turned his focus to Draymond Green in Game 5, drawing a charge and goading him into a technical foul. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr seems to have had enough of Beverley's antics. "I didn't think it was a good call," Kerr told reporters. "You know Beverley's gonna flop in the paint, and Draymond turned—it looked like Mike Tyson punched him in the face. "Beverley's good at that. His head literally snaps back. I'm worried he's gonna get whiplash on some of these flops. But he's good at it." More than anything, though, it looks like Golden State has lost its composure and just aren't playing at the championship level that many have grown accustomed to as the winners of three of the last four titles. Durant, who had a game-high 45 points in Game 5, has played well, as has Klay Thompson. But the subpar play of Stephen Curry has been evident. The two-time MVP scored 32 points in Game 1, but just 22 points in Game 2 and 21 points in Game 3. He then laid an egg in Game 4 with just 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the floor. "When we're playing well and winning, the light shines bright," Curry told Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle. "The same thing on the opposite end; you kind of take it on the chin and keep it moving." Curry managed to put up 24 points in Game 5, but it's obvious that he's having trouble with the Clippers' trapping defense. If the Warriors want to close out the series on Friday night, they'll need Curry to have a monster bounce-back game. Game 7 Matchup Breakdown Can the Spurs Complete the Upset Over the Nuggets? How do the Spurs do it? Coming into the postseason as the No. 7 seed, there weren't a lot of optimistic predictions for San Antonio to lean on. The Nuggets were viewed as one of the hottest teams in the league going into the playoffs, and the Spurs, decimated by injuries early on, never quite got their mojo back. But experience is always the best teacher.<doc-sep>
The 2019 NBA Playoffs have provided early upsets, drama and a few teams proving they’re legitimate contenders to make a run to the NBA Finals right out of the gate. But before we get there, the second round is where attention shifts soon, as the field cuts down from 16 teams to eight and the semifinal matchups for both conferences get underway. While fans have been left with plenty to talk about through round one, the potential second-round matchups are taking shape. The official dates and times of each specific matchup won’t be set until a few more teams lock up their spot in the second round, but we have at least an idea of what the future holds. We’re going to take a look at the potential matchups as well as the second round dates and times that have been revealed to this point. It’s worth noting that these times can change/shift depending on when the first round wraps up. Best Likely Round 2 NBA Playoff Matchups: Western Conference As the opening round of the playoffs rolls on, we’re closer to a number of interesting possible matchups in the second round being set. One of the headliners is a series between the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed in the Golden State Warriors against the four-seed Houston Rockets. This marks a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals, a series which the Warriors completed a comeback after trailing 3-2. The Rockets obviously want a chance to get a bit of revenge, and that series is now set. The other side of the West will feature the Portland Trail Blazers against the Denver Nuggets. From there, the winners of each semifinal matchup would go on to meet in the Western Conference Finals. Best Likely Round 2 NBA Playoff Matchups: Eastern Conference While the West has provided some drama for NBA fans, the Eastern Conference has been more of what many expected to see. The No. 1 seed Milwaukee Bucks swept the Detroit Pistons while the four-seed Boston Celtics also rolled past the Indiana Pacers in impressive fashion with their own sweep. This sets up a matchup between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kyrie Irving in round two. Follow the Heavy NBA Facebook page for all the latest stories, rumors and viral content! On the other half of the East bracket, the Philadelphia 76ers dropped Game 1 to the Brooklyn Nets but proceeded to win four straight. They’re playing with star center Joel Embiid battling a knee ailment, but when he’s been on the floor he’s remained dominant. They earned a second-round date with Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors, who also lost their opener against the Orlando Magic, but won four straight to follow. The East wound up with the four top seeds advancing, while that remains up in the air in the West. Round 2 NBA Playoff Schedule Note: Tentative times and dates are listed below with all information courtesy of Sports Media Watch. These can change depending on a few varying factors, but as any new information comes out we’ll update this schedule. Although round two will begin on April 29 at the latest, there’s a chance dates and times can be changed depending on when the opening round wraps up. As Sports Media Group points out, conference semifinals matchups could potentially be moved up to April 27-28. UPDATE: Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer revealed the schedule for the series, with the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors being moved up to start on Saturday, April 27. The other times below remain tentative with the rest of the schedule not posted yet. Saturday, April 27 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors 7:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Sunday, April 28 Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks 1 p.m. ET (ABC) Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Monday, April 29 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors 8 p.m. ET (TNT) Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Tuesday, April 30 Boston Celtics vs. Milwaukee Bucks 8 p.m. ET (TNT) Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT) Wednesday, May 1 Portland Trail Blazers vs. Denver Nuggets 9 p.m. ET (TNT) Thursday, May 2 Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers 8:00 p.m. ET (ESPN) Friday, May 3 Milwaukee Bucks vs. Boston Celtics Time TBD (ESPN) Denver Nuggets vs. Portland Trail Blazers Time TBD (ESPN) Saturday, May 4 Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC) Sunday, May 5 Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers 3:30 p.m.