After starting out with a string of upsets, the 2019 NBA Playoffs went entirely chalk yesterday. The favored Toronto Raptors, Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers all won their respective matchups by wide margins, making it a relatively tame day of hoops action. Things could get interesting again on Wednesday evening with three more games on tap. There are two nationally televised contests on TNT, beginning with the Boston Celtics taking on the Indiana Pacers at 7 p.m. ET and concluding with the Houston Rockets battling it out with the Utah Jazz at 9:30 p.m. NBA TV will also host a clash between the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons, which will tip-off in between the aforementioned games at 8 p.m.
You can find all the scores, highlights and an updated 2019 NBA Playoff bracket with Tuesday’s results below. There is also a table that has the full schedule, tip-off start times, TV viewing information, updated odds and quick picks from Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com below:
NBA Playoffs 2019 Schedule And Odds
| Matchup | Series | Time (ET) | TV | Odds | Total | Pick |
| Wednesday, April 17 | ||||||
| Indiana Pacers (E5) at Boston Celtics (E4) | BOS 1 – IND 0 | 7 p.m. | TNT | BOS -7.5 | 203 | BOS -7.5 |
| Detroit Pistons (E8) at Milwaukee Bucks (E1) | MIL 1 – DET 0 | 8 p.m. | NBATV | MIL -15 | 212 | MIL -15 |
| Utah Jazz (W5) at Houston Rockets (W1) | HOU 1 – UTA 0 | 9:30 p.m. | TNT | HOU -6.5 | 213 | UTA +6.5 |
2019 NBA Playoff Bracket
NBA Playoffs Results And Highlights
| Matchup | Score |
| Tuesday, April 16 | |
| Orlando Magic (E7) at Toronto Raptors (E2) | TOR 111 – ORL 82 |
| San Antonio Spurs (W7) at Denver Nuggets (W2) | DEN 114 – SAS 105 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder (W6) at Portland Trail Blazers (W3) | POR 114 – OKC 94 |
2019 NBA Playoff Picks And Predictions – Wednesday, April 17
BOS-IND
After covering the six-point spread with a 10-point win in Game 1, the Celtics have been installed as a 7.5-point favorite for Game 2. Although it was the club’s lowest scoring game of the 2018-19 campaign, Boston’s defense shined over the weekend, holding Indiana to just eight points in the third quarter. That effort allowed the home side to rally back from a 45-38 deficit at the half and secure a critical victory in the series. It was also one of the lowest scoring playoff games in relation to the total, with the 158 points scored falling 52 below the set over/under of 210. Despite having missed the mark by that much, shops have only adjusted the total down seven points to 203 for Game 2. Neither of these teams lit up the scoreboard during the regular season—Boston averaged 112.4 points per game, ranking No. 14 in the NBA, while Indiana’s 108.0 PPG average came in at No. 22—and both have struggled with consistency. That inconsistency was on full display on Saturday, when the Pacers started hot but couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half, while the Celtics came out of the gate slow but picked it up in the final 24 minutes.
Unless one of these teams finds a way to put together a full four quarters of strong play, the under will remain a very appealing betting option for this Eastern Conference Playoffs series. Those looking to bet the spread should consider leaning towards the C’s to win and cover for the second straight game. They missed plenty of open looks in the first matchup against Indy and proved they has the personnel to keep their opponent’s top options locked down. Only two Pacers scored in double-figures last time out, while five different Celtics were able to achieve that feat. It’s going to be tough for Indy to contain this talented group, so go with the home team to push this series to 2-0 tonight.
MIL-DET
The Bucks are going into Game 2 of their first round 2019 NBA Playoff series as a massive 15-point favorite. They obliterated the Pistons in Game 1 by a 121-86 margin, easily covering the same line in the Game 1. The East’s top seed proved it is a real threat to compete for a spot in the NBA Finals this year, highlighted by star player Giannis Antetokounmpo throwing up a 24-point, 17-rebound performance in just 26 minutes on the court.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer thinks that despite the dominating Game 1 outing, his program could play even better going forward (via ESPN):
There’s always areas to improve, we can get better offensively. But I love it when I see a box score where lots of guys are participating, lots of guys are having good games and we’re not totally dependent on just those top three guys, top four, top five guys.
Detroit looks completely overmatched here, especially with top option Blake Griffin sidelined with a left knee injury. He’s officially day-to-day, but reports have come out that the 30-year-old will likely miss the entire series. Considering Griffin was the driving force—averaging 24.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game—behind the Pistons making their first postseason appearance in two years, it’s looking exceedingly probable that Detroit will be swept out quickly by the team with the league’s best record. Lay the points and go with a potent Bucks team that will cruise to a big victory in Game 2.
HOU-UTA
On paper, the closest contest of tonight’s NBA Playoffs slate should be between the Rockets and Jazz. Houston had an underwhelming season, but looked as dangerous as any team in the postseason field during an explosive Game 1 victory. Reigning MVP James Harden amassed 29 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in 33 minutes to lead his side to a 122-90 victory. The Jazz employed an interesting and ultimately ineffective technique to try and stop Harden—the league’s leading scorer with a 36.1 PPG average during the regular season—by attempting to make the lefty primarily use his right hand. It resulted in the Arizona State product regularly getting into the lane for uncontested looks at the basket, but primary defender Ricky Rubio thinks that the plan could still work, via Salman Ali:
Ricky Rubio: “It’s a game plan that’s not just for one game… We have to get to know the game plan better.”
Mentioned how Quinn Snyder would make adjustments to the strategy as the series goes on.
— Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) April 15, 2019
To Utah’s credit, the team employed the second-most efficient defense in the NBA this season and only three teams allowed fewer total points per game on average. Head coach Quin Snyder’s group clearly had an off night by allowing Houston to shoot collectively better than 50% from the field, while the Jazz offense couldn’t breach the 40% mark. The bench was especially bad, going just 3-of-19 from the floor, but that should improve in Game 2. While the Jazz may still opt to shade Harden’s left, expect Snyder to make some adjustments to better protect the rim on Wednesday night. Assuming the Jazz can do that, and get some more open looks and knock them down, this one will be closer than the spread indicates. Take the points and watch this one be decided by a bucket or two at the end.
