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The Western Conference Playoffs are still in the first round, but the Eastern Conference has waited long enough and will kick off its conference semifinals this weekend when the Toronto Raptors host the Philadelphia 76ers. These teams overcame Game 1 losses to win the next four games in their first round series, brushing aside weaker opponents after detractors criticized them for dropping the first game. Toronto won three of the four meetings between these teams in the regular season, and the Ra... 

The Los Angeles Clippers simply refuse to go away. At the start of their series with the Golden State Warriors, the Clippers were considered a coinflip to win even one game in the series. However, while six other teams have already been eliminated from the playoffs, they are still alive against the team that has won three of the last four NBA titles. They are still heavy underdogs to win the series, but they have more of a chance than anyone thought and get to play at home in Game 6.... 

The San Antonio Spurs tied an NBA record with 22 straight postseason trips this year, but now the Spurs are looking to avoid a first round exit. San Antonio seemed to have No. 2 seed Denver on the ropes for a while, yet the Nuggets have shown resiliency and bounced back after others counted them out. Denver has only won one first round series in the last 25 years, but the Nuggets have to be liking their chances against a San Antonio team that doesn’t have the guns it did in the past.... 

The Golden State Warriors have been massive favorites all year. Golden State was the odds-on favorite to win the NBA title this season, and the Warriors entered their first round series with the Los Angeles Clippers as an unbelievable -10000 favorite. The Warriors were even money to sweep their series with the Clippers, and while that bet ended up being a loser, they are huge favorites to close out their series tonight. ... 

The Philadelphia 76ers posted their second straight 50-win season this year, and they can win a playoff series for the second straight season against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night. Winning a first round series was not the end goal of Sam Hinkie’s process, but this is still a young team learning to play together and it’s all about baby steps. Philadelphia is a sizable favorite to close out it series with Brooklyn in five games.... 

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off the unthinkable last time out, rallying from a 31-point deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors in Oakland and tie their first-round series at one game apiece. The Clippers are riding high and can suddenly put some fear into Golden State if they can secure another win, this time at home, in Game 3.... 

Despite being the higher seed in their first-round matchup, the Portland Trail Blazers weren’t given a ton of respect as they faced off with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland brushed that off and won the first two games of the series and now can deliver a huge blow if it can grab a win in Game 3 next time out.... 

The Toronto Raptors were hoping to have an easy time of it against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, but that certainly hasn’t been the case. Orlando won the first game of this series and would love to extend it deep and push the Raptors to the brink.... 

The Toronto Raptors have only played one game in the postseason and already there are murmurs about their inability to get it done when the pressure heats up. Toronto is the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and finished with the second-best record in the NBA during the regular season but were upset in Game 1 of their first round series by the Orlando Magic.... 

The first half of the playoffs followed the script of the regular season for the Boston Celtics as they underachieved. They broke out in a big way after intermission and hope it’s a sign of things to come. The Celtics have a 1-0 lead on the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the NBA playoffs and hope to take control of the series next time out.... 

James Harden and the Houston Rockets will attempt to finish the deal this season, but they’ll have to rise from the fourth-seed in the Western Conference to do it. Houston earned the best record in the NBA last season and was a win away from reaching the Finals until an ill-timed injury to Chris Paul. There will be no rematch in the conference final this year, instead the winner of this series likely has the defending champion Warriors in the second round. The Rockets reached the West final by d... 

The surprising Denver Nuggets battled with the defending champs for the top seed in the Western Conference all season, but in the end they fell short. The Nugs flirted with the top spot until a blowout loss in Golden State a few weeks ago ended any hope of that happening. Denver played the role of contender all season now we’ll see if they are up to the challenge in the playoffs. Moving on won’t be easy against an experienced San Antonio Spurs squad that qualified for the second season for the 2... 

As good as Russell Westbrook has been over the course of the last three regular seasons, he’s been unable to find postseason success since Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder following a run to the Western Conference Final in 2016. Russ has a new sidekick in Paul George and the duo has the Thunder riding high entering their first-round playoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers.... 

Russell Westbrook did it again, averaging a triple-double for the third straight season. However, all those stats produced zero playoff series wins the last two years with the Oklahoma City Thunder getting bounced by Houston and Utah. Russ will attempt to correct that and it begins on Sunday with a tilt against Northwest Division rival Portland Trail Blazers. OKC swept the regular season series and will look to continue its winning ways on the road in Game 1.... 

One team from the southern part of the state was expected to be in the postseason, and it wasn’t the Los Angeles Clippers. But here they are. After trading away their best player at the deadline, the Clips still finished among the top eight in the Western Conference and for their troubles they get the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Not many are giving the Clips a chance to even win a game in this series, but they must be played and this one gets the primetime ABC slot on Saturday nigh... 

The Brooklyn Nets were left for dead when the regular season started, but they bucked projections by finishing above .500 on the year and making the playoffs. They will aim to hang around for awhile but it won’t be easy as they begin their journey with a first-round matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.... 

The Toronto Raptors have been in this position before, but they are hoping for an alternate ending in 2019. The Raptors have found great regular season success in the past several seasons but have not turned that into an NBA Finals appearance. The team now has Kawhi Leonard leading the way, which has it feeling confident as the playoffs arrive.... 

The Golden State Warriors slept-walked through the regular season at times but still finished with the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. The intensity will amp up now that the playoffs are here. Golden State is in the midst of one of the most dominant dynasties in NBA history and is the prohibitive favorite to add another championship to its resume.... 

The Milwaukee Bucks put together a phenomenal regular season, surprising nearly everyone by finishing with the best record in the NBA. The expectations have steadily increased this season and now the hope is to take this magical season all the way to the NBA Finals.... 

The Indiana Pacers remained among the Eastern Conference elite for much longer than expected this season before eventually dropping back because of a poor finish to the regular season. The team would love to turn it up when the playoffs begin and surprise both fans and bettors alike.... 

The final day of the NBA regular season is upon us. All but one of the playoff spots have been wrapped up, with the Detroit Pistons aiming to hold off the Charlotte Hornets for the final seed in the East on Wednesday.... 

The playoffs are finally here, as the Golden State Warriors prepare to defend their crown while the rest of the NBA contenders aim to give them a run for the trophy. It has been an interesting regular season, as the Warriors, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics have all had their issues this year. However, Golden State is still the odds-on favorite while Houston is right there. ... 

The NBA is down to its final couple of days. While half of the league will head to the playoffs, for the others this is the end of the road. There isn’t much motivation remaining for the teams headed to lottery land, and figuring out rotations and a sense or urgency seems like a big key when it comes to the remaining regular season wagers.... 

There is only one playoff spot remaining as the regular season comes down to its final couple days. The Eastern Conference has three teams battling for the No. 8 seed, with the Detroit Pistons in the catbird seat as the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat give chase.... 

The battle for the final Eastern Conference playoff spots is coming down to the wire, and both the Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets are prominently involved. They will face off in the regular season finale for both on Wednesday in a game that could have huge ramifications....