Tuesday's slate is all business. Three Game 2s on tap, all carrying the same weight: go up 2-0 and put the other team in a statistical stranglehold, or let the road team breathe and turn this into a series. Boston looks to tighten its grip on a Sixers team still waiting on Joel Embiid (who is confirmed out). San Antonio gets its second crack at proving Victor Wembanyama is everything the postseason hype says he is. And the biggest wildcard of the night hangs over Los Angeles — Kevin Durant is a game-time decision, and his answer changes everything about what the Rockets can do in this series.

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Philadelphia 76ers (7) at Boston Celtics (2) | 7pm ET, Peacock

Game 2. Boston leads series 1-0.

The Celtics ran the 76ers off the court in Game 1's 32-point blowout. There was no suspense because Philadelphia had no response after falling behind and staying there. The Sixers shot just 4-for-23 from three-point range, and without a credible big man in the paint, Boston attacked the rim at will. Tatum grabbed 11 rebounds — more than Philadelphia's big men Andre Drummond and Adem Bona had combined. Drummond posted a -19 in 21 minutes. That's not a rotation player problem. That's a franchise-level roster hole that only one person can fill.

Joel Embiid will not play in Game 2. He's begun the strength and conditioning portion of his recovery from the appendectomy, but he will not be on the floor at TD Garden on Tuesday night. His status remains uncertain for the series, and by the time he gets cleared, the Sixers could already be eliminated. That's the brutal reality of Philadelphia's situation — they are burning games in what might be a shrinking window.

Tatum's return has been an unqualified success for Boston. His performance in Game 1 was a best-case scenario — energetic, consistent, no rust — and every meaningful outing only builds toward the deeper run the team expects to make. Brown scored 26 in Game 1, and the Celtics are 11-1 when both Jays are fully available. That's the team Philadelphia has to beat.

The Sixers' path to relevance in Game 2 runs entirely through Tyrese Maxey. He has to be aggressive from tip-off, attack the Celtics' closeouts, and generate enough points on his own to keep the game from getting lopsided in the second half. Paul George needs a powerful showing to demonstrate he can still impact a game when the stakes are real, and rookie VJ Edgecombe needs to shoot better than the collective 4-for-23 from deep that doomed Philadelphia on Sunday.

Philadelphia wins if Maxey plays a complete, 40-minute, All-Star-level game and the Sixers' three-point shooting comes back to life. It happened twice against Boston during the regular season — but Tatum wasn't in either of those games.

Boston wins if the J’s are themselves again, which seems like the only realistic expectation. If the Sixers fall to 0-2, they'll need to win four out of five to take the series — an almost impossible ask for this group without Embiid.

Portland Trail Blazers (7) at San Antonio Spurs (2) | 8pm ET, NBC

Game 2. San Antonio leads series 1-0.

Wembanyama's 21 first-half points set an NBA record for most in the opening half of a playoff debut. His 35 total points set a Spurs franchise record, surpassing Tim Duncan's 32 — with Duncan himself watching from courtside alongside David Robinson. It was exactly the kind of performance that makes the rest of the league uncomfortable about what's coming.

Here's the thing though: Portland wasn't blown out. The Blazers trailed by just two points with under eight minutes left in the third quarter before San Antonio pulled away. Avdija had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Henderson added 18 — there were real moments where Portland looked capable of winning this game. The problem is that the Blazers shot 10-for-38 from three-point range, and removing Avdija's numbers, the rest of the team was below 40% from the field and under 25% from deep. Against this defense, that's a death sentence.

Wembanyama had only five rebounds in Game 1 — well below his season average — and committed four turnovers. Those are real adjustments Portland can target: hit the glass harder, make him work in traffic, and force him into decision-making situations rather than open shots. Holiday and Sharpe also had rough shooting nights, which means there's a version of Portland that handles Wemby's supporting cast while making the game ugly enough to stay competitive. They just haven't found it yet.

The Blazers' best path might be pace. Push the ball early, create transition buckets before San Antonio's defense sets, and avoid the halfcourt possessions where Wembanyama and the Spurs' length can swallow everything. Wembanyama is expected to be more aggressive on the glass in Game 2 — Portland has to brace for a more complete performance from the guy who already set a franchise record just showing up.

Portland wins if the three-point shooting reverts toward the mean, Avdija gets consistent help from the supporting cast, and the Blazers' second-chance hustle gives them enough extra possessions to offset the talent gap. Their play-in win over Phoenix showed they can catch fire at the right moment.

San Antonio wins if Wembanyama builds on his debut in any meaningful way — rebounding, passing, defense — and Castle and Fox continue operating as functional second and third options. Rookie Dylan Harper was +18 in 23 minutes in Game 1. The depth on this Spurs team is quietly a major advantage in a series where Portland's bench has been inconsistent all year.

Houston Rockets (5) at Los Angeles Lakers (4) | 10:30pm ET, NBC

Game 2. Los Angeles leads series 1-0.

Both teams walked into Game 1 missing their most important player. The Lakers were without Dončić and Reaves. The Rockets were without Durant, who bumped knees with a teammate in practice and was a late scratch with a bruised right knee. Los Angeles took full advantage — Kennard scored a career playoff-high 27, LeBron had 19 points and 13 assists, and Ayton added 19 and 11 as the Lakers shot 60.6% from the field while holding Houston to 37.6%.

Now comes the curveball. Durant participated in about half of Monday's practice and is a game-time decision for Tuesday. Coach Ime Udoka pointed to mobility as the key factor — not pain tolerance, but whether Durant can move comfortably through the required actions on both ends. If he plays, this becomes an entirely different series. Durant averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists on near-50/40/90 splits this season. The Rockets couldn't compensate for his absence in Game 1. With him, they become the team everyone expected when this matchup was announced.

The Lakers remain the underdog in the series even after their Game 1 win, and the injury math still heavily favors Houston in the long run. But Los Angeles has proven it can execute without its stars — LeBron as a 40-year-old facilitator is still a legitimate weapon, and James-led teams are historically 13-0 when they win Game 1 of the opening round. That doesn't make anything predetermined, but the mental edge of a 2-0 lead against a road team is real. Dončić was also spotted at the practice facility on Monday for the first time since his hamstring injury — another variable that could shift the series dynamic further down the line.

Houston wins if Durant is back and immediately reasserts himself as the best offensive player on the floor, changing every coverage decision the Lakers can make. Houston had 21 offensive rebounds in Game 1 and still only scored 98 points — if shooting efficiency improves alongside Durant's return, the Rockets have more than enough talent to even this series.

Los Angeles wins if LeBron keeps distributing at an elite level and the role players around him keep hitting their shots. The formula worked once without Durant. Whether it works twice — with him potentially back in the lineup — is a different question entirely.

There's a particular kind of momentum that builds when one team goes up 2-0. Teams with a 2-0 playoff lead win the series 92.7% of the time. Cleveland is already there. Boston is one win away from claiming it over Philadelphia. All three of today’s games offer a chance to slam a door that, statistically speaking, almost never reopens.

Portland is still alive — down one game to a team that just broke a franchise record in a playoff debut. Philadelphia is still alive — down one game to a team that hasn't missed the second round in five years. Houston is still alive — matching injuries with the team they're playing, with their best player potentially stepping back onto the floor tonight.

None of these roads are easy. All of them have the opportunity to even the series and bring it back to their home court where anything could happen.