There are three Game 2 contests slated for Tuesday, and all three feature road teams who picked up the upset in the opening game of their series — including the No. 1 seeded Boston Celtics. It’s unlikely we’ll get upsets from all three of these series, but it does seem increasingly likely that we’ll get at least one. Here’s a quick and dirty ranking of who is most likely to pull off the upset.
NBA playoffs 2017: Tuesday’s schedule, start times, and streaming info
Three home teams looking to pick up wins after Game 1 upsets!
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Utah could definitely knock off Los Angeles, and before the playoffs started, I even predicted they would. But the health of Rudy Gobert puts this all into question, and it’s too hard to really stump for the Jazz when their best player (arguably, at least) may miss games, and might not be 100 percent even if he does return soon.
2. Bulls vs. Celtics
Chicago has Jimmy Butler, which gives them a huge advantage and was an enormous reason why they won Game 1. An underdog having the best player on the court is, like, the most common ingredient for an upset. But Boston did earn the No. 1 seed for a reason, and it’s way too early to count them out.
3. Bucks vs. Raptors
On one hand, it feels like Toronto should be better than they have at any point previously. The P.J. Tucker and Serge Ibaka additions gives them a great change of pace element that they haven’t had. But Kyle Lowry stunk in Game 1, and DeMar DeRozan wasn’t great either, although he did at least get to the free-throw line a lot. Both players have a history of falling apart when the postseason rolls around, so this isn’t something new. The last problem is a simple one: Toronto doesn’t have Giannis Antetokounmpo. That is certainly a problem.
How to watch
All times Eastern
Raptors vs. Bucks: 7 p.m., Air Canada Center, NBA TV
Celtics vs. Bulls: 8 p.m., TD Garden, TNT
Clippers vs. Jazz: 10:30 p.m., Staples Center, TNT
See More:
