NBA Playoffs 2020: Schedule Guide, Standings and Predictions for Round 1 Results | News, Scores, Hig

Play time is over in the NBA bubble. With the 2020 playoffs starting in earnest Monday, the focus on the league has switched from the seeding games to seeing who hoists the Larry O'Brien Trophy when this unique season comes to its conclusion.

The playoffs are a grueling marathon, but the narrative starts early. With the novel challenges of quarantines, opt-outs and a season restart, this is sure to be one of the most memorable postseasons in history.

Even under normal circumstances, this would be a fascinating year for the playoffs. Both Los Angeles teams turned themselves into title contenders in the offseason, with Anthony Davis joining LeBron James on the Lakers and Paul George joining Kawhi Leonard in a Clippers uniform. Odds are we will see a team from the City of Angels in the Finals.

The Eastern Conference has its own interesting subplots. The defending champion Toronto Raptors have found a way to not miss a beat despite losing their star player to the Clippers in the offseason. Will they keep that going in the postseason, or will Giannis Antetokounmpo make his first Finals appearance?

All of those questions are a long way from being answered, but there's plenty of intrigue to sort out in Round 1. Here's a look at all the matchups, along with all the info you need to tune in and the most intriguing series to keep an eye on in the opening round.

2020 NBA Playoffs Round 1 Schedule

All times p.m. and ET

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic

• Game 1: Tue, Aug 18, Orlando at Milwaukee, 1:30, TNT
• Game 2: Thu, Aug 20, Orlando at Milwaukee, 6, ESPN
• Game 3: Sat, Aug 22, Milwaukee at Orlando, 1, TNT
• Game 4: Mon, Aug 24, Milwaukee at Orlando, 1:30, NBATV
• Game 5*: Wed, Aug. 26, Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Fri, Aug. 28, Milwaukee at Orlando, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30, Orlando at Milwaukee, TBD, TBD

No. 2 Toronto Raptors vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets

• Game 1: Mon, Aug 17, Brooklyn at Toronto, 4, ESPN
• Game 2: Wed, Aug 19, Brooklyn at Toronto, 1:30, NBATV
• Game 3: Fri, Aug 21, Toronto at Brooklyn, 1:30, NBATV
• Game 4: Sun, Aug 23, Toronto at Brooklyn, 6:30, TNT
• Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25, Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27, Toronto at Brooklyn, TBD, ESPN
• Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29, Brooklyn at Toronto, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Boston Celtics vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers

• Game 1: Mon, Aug 17, Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30, ESPN
• Game 2: Wed, Aug 19, Philadelphia at Boston, 6:30, TNT
• Game 3: Fri, Aug 21, Boston at Philadelphia, 6:30, TNT
• Game 4: Sun, Aug 23, Boston at Philadelphia, 1, ABC
• Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25, Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27, Boston at Philadelphia, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29, Philadelphia at Boston, TBD, TBD

No. 4 Indiana Pacers vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

• Game 1: Tue, Aug 18, Miami at Indiana, 4, TNT
• Game 2: Thu, Aug 20, Miami at Indiana, 1, ESPN
• Game 3: Sat, Aug 22, Indiana at Miami, 3:30, TNT
• Game 4: Mon, Aug 24, Indiana at Miami, 6:30, TNT
• Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26, Miami at Indiana, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28, Indiana at Miami, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30, Miami at Indiana, TBD, TBD

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers

• Game 1: Tue, Aug 18, Portland at Los Angeles, 9, TNT
• Game 2: Thu, Aug 20, Portland at Los Angeles, 9, ESPN
• Game 3: Sat, Aug 22, Los Angeles at Portland, 8:30, ABC
• Game 4: Mon, Aug 24, Los Angeles at Portland, 9, TNT
• Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26, Portland at Los Angeles, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28, Los Angeles at Portland, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30, Portland at Los Angeles, TBD, TBD

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks

• Game 1: Mon, Aug 17, Dallas at LA, 9, ESPN
• Game 2: Wed, Aug 19, Dallas at LA, 9, TNT
• Game 3: Fri, Aug 21, LA at Dallas, 9, TNT
• Game 4: Sun, Aug 23, LA at Dallas, 3:30, ABC
• Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25, Dallas at LA, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27, LA at Dallas, TBD, ESPN
• Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29, Dallas at LA, TBD, TNT

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz

• Game 1: Mon, Aug 17, Utah at Denver, 1:30, ESPN
• Game 2: Wed, Aug 19, Utah at Denver, 4, TNT
• Game 3: Fri, Aug 21, Denver at Utah, 4, TNT
• Game 4: Sun, Aug 23, Denver at Utah, 9, TNT
• Game 5*: Tue, Aug 25, Utah at Denver, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Thu, Aug 27, Denver at Utah, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sat, Aug 29, Utah at Denver, TBD, TBD

No. 4 Houston Rockets vs. No. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder

• Game 1: Tue, Aug 18, Oklahoma City at Houston, 6:30, TNT
• Game 2: Thu, Aug 20, Oklahoma City at. Houston, 3:30, ESPN
• Game 3: Sat, Aug 22, Houston at Oklahoma City, 6, ESPN
• Game 4: Mon, Aug 24, Houston at Oklahoma City, 4, TNT
• Game 5*: Wed, Aug 26, Oklahoma City at Houston, TBD, TBD
• Game 6*: Fri, Aug 28, Houston at Oklahoma City, TBD, TBD
• Game 7*: Sun, Aug 30, Oklahoma City at Houston, TBD, TBD​​​​​​

* if necessary

Playoff Standings and Predictions

Eastern Conference

No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks (56-17) vs. No. 8 Orlando Magic (33-40)

Prediction: Bucks 4-0

No. 2 Toronto Raptors (53-19) vs. No. 7 Brooklyn Nets (35-37)

Prediction: Raptors 4-0

No. 3 Boston Celtics (48-24) vs. No. 6 Philadelphia 76ers (43-30)

Prediction: Celtics 4-2

No. 4 Indiana Pacers (45-28) vs. No. 5 Miami Heat (44-29)

Prediction: Pacers 4-3

Western Conference

No. 1 Los Angeles Lakers (52-19) vs. No. 8 Portland Trail Blazers (35-39)

Prediction: Lakers 4-1

No. 2 Los Angeles Clippers (49-23) vs. No. 7 Dallas Mavericks (43-32)

Prediction: Clippers 4-1

No. 3 Denver Nuggets (46-27) vs. No. 6 Utah Jazz (44-28)

Prediction: Nuggets 4-2

No. 4 Houston Rockets (44-28) vs. No. 5 Oklahoma City Thunder (44-28)

Prediction: Thunder 4-3

Series to Watch

Celtics vs. 76ers

There are few series that are more compelling in the first round than the three vs. six matchup in the Eastern Conference between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.

The Sixers came one Kawhi Leonard buzzer-beater away from playing the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Now, they enter the postseason as a No. 6 seed with many of the same questions that have plagued them as a franchise.

Chief among those questions is how healthy Joel Embiid is and whether he can elevate the team to its potential. Ben Simmons is out for the rest of the season after knee surgery, and Embiid suffered an ankle injury in the seeding games.

While Embiid has already returned from that injury, it's emblematic of the problem the Sixers face in this series. At full strength, they are a scary team. As Celtics coach Brad Stevens pointed out, there's a case to be made Philadelphia is a better offensive team without Simmons.

"In the games that Simmons hasn't played, they're the No. 1 offense in the league," Stevens told reporters. "The spacing, the shooting around [Joel] Embiid posting, the ability to play big with both Embiid and Al [Horford]. ... A bunch of shooters around them makes them very tough."

The problem is that Simmons takes away a top defender to help them match up with Boston's plethora of strong options on the wing. Without Simmons, the Sixers will need to shift their top defender on Jayson Tatum, leaving other defenders to take Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker.

The long-term ramifications of this series could be interesting. This is the fourth season the Sixers have had Embiid playing games and their third with Simmons. Yet they still haven't broken through in the postseason.

How they look without Simmons could demonstrate either his importance or lack thereof moving forward.

Rockets vs. Thunder

The matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder might be the most difficult to call in the first round. For one, the Rockets never had their starting lineup completely available for any of the seeding games in Orlando, Florida, and that will continue to be the case for at least Game 1.

Houston's commitment to small ball is a fascinating experiment that has yielded interesting results. They went 4-4 in the bubble despite all their roster turnover and are obviously one of the most fast-paced and three-point-happy teams in the league.

The Rockets are second in the league in pace and average shooting an astounding 45 three-pointers per game. That makes them incredibly hard to predict and very dangerous.

The bad news for them is that the Thunder have been one of the best teams at defending the three-point line. They are second in the league in opponent three-point percentage, and teams are shooting just 34.0 percent behind the arc against them. In the bubble, that number shrank to just 30.1 percent.

The thing to watch will be what the Thunder do with Steven Adams. The Rockets don't have a traditional center and will instead look to simply run him off the floor.

The Thunder have some advantages that can't be ignored. Westbrook's absence plays in their favor as they could snag an early lead while the Rockets are undermanned. Their defense has also been playing well and should match up well with what Houston is trying to do.

Still, a team that is willing to shoot as much the Rockets is dangerous in any series. It could come down to whether they get hot in four of the seven games.

Pacers vs. Heat

Jimmy Butler vs. T.J. Warren alone will make these games worth the price of admission. The forwards are both fiery competitors and have some history.

The series is also an interesting case study in how important these seeding games were. The Indiana Pacers played some of their best basketball in the bubble, going 6-2. Warren especially turned things up once the season restarted with a 53-point outing against Philadelphia and had the third-highest scoring average in the bubble.

The Miami Heat, on the other hand, spent their eight games in the bubble dealing with some minor injuries and generally struggling to a 3-5 mark. With a leader like Butler and the talent on their roster, it's hard to see that continuing into the playoffs.

With Goran Dragic missing three of the bubble games, Tyler Herro stepped in and took on some of the offensive responsibility. He led the team at 17.3 points per game in Orlando and will be expected to carry some of that load as the postseason starts.

That's a lot to ask of a rookie guard when the Pacers figure to have a somewhat healthy Victor Oladipo teaming up with the red-hot Warren.

Throughout the early part of the regular season, the Heat were better than the Pacers. But heading into these unique playoffs, the Pacers have much more momentum. We are about to find out whether that matters in these circumstances.

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