Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets Western Conference First Round Game 3 Game Preview

Tonight at 8:30pm on ESPN, the Oklahoma City Thunder (60-22) take on the Houston Rockets (45-37) in a Western Conference First Round Game 3 matchup in Houston. OKC enters Game 3 on a two game winning streak after beating Houston 105-102 on Wednesday. Houston went on a 21-2 run only to be answered by a 12-3 run in the final three minutes to give the Thunder a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each had 29 points. Westbrook was fouled by Patrick Beverley in the second quarter, tearing his lateral meniscus in his right knee. It will require surgery and he will miss the remainder of the postseason. Durant was the runner-up in the scoring title race, ending his three year reign atop the catigory. Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks won his first scoring title. Durant led the team in scoring at 28.1 points per game. Houston enters their first home playoff game on a four game losing streak dating back to the regular season. In Game 2, James Harden had a pair of postseason career-highs with 36 points and 11 rebounds. He was fifth in the NBA in scoring this season with 25.9 points per game. He played for the Thunder for his first three seasons in the league. This should be a classic postseason game in the Western Conference. Look for the Rockets to get back into this series and take advantage of the Westbrook injury with a big win tonight.

Pacers at Hawks Eastern Conference First Round Game 3 Game Preview

Tonight at 6pm on ESPN, the Indiana Pacers (49-32) take on the Atlanta Hawks (44-37) in an Eastern Conference First Round Game 3. The Pacers hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 game series. Indiana comes into this game after defeating the Hawks at home on Wednesday night 113-98. The Pacers shot 47 percent from the field and outrebounded the Hawks 47-41 to go along with just 10 turnovers. Paul George was named the KIA NBA Most Improved Player this past week and is also the leading scorer for the Pacers at 17.4 points per game in the regular season. He had a triple-double in Game 1 and followed that up with a 27 point performance in Game 2. Atlanta enters their playoff home opener after losing their last four games of the regular season and playoffs. Devin Harris had a team-high 17 points in the Game 2 loss. Josh Smith led the Hawks in points per game this season with 17.5. These teams met four times during the regular season, with each team winning two at home. Look for the homecourt advantage of the Hawks to get them their first win of the postseason and put them right back into this series.

Warriors at Nuggets Western Conference First Round Game 1 Game Preview

Today at 4:30pm on ESPN, the Golden State Warriors (47-35) take on the Denver Nuggets (57-25) in a Western Conference First Round Game 1 matchup at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Golden State earned the 6 seed in the playoffs this season by beating the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night 99-88. Stephen Curry, the team's leading scorer at 22.9 points per game, broke the all time single season three point record of Ray Allen in the win for coach Mark Jackson, a former ESPN NBA Analyst. Denver received the 3 seed by dispatching Phoenix 118-98 on Wednesday. Ty Lawson leads the team in points with 16.7 per game for coach George Karl. These teams met four times during the regular season, with Golden State winning three of them. This should be a very fun series to watch as both teams want to get out and push the ball up the court. Look for the homecourt of Denver to get the win for the hometown Nuggets in Game 1.

Celtics at Knicks Eastern Conference First Round Game 1 Game Preview

Today at 2pm on ABC, the Boston Celtics (41-40) take on the New York Knicks (54-28) in an Eastern Conference First Round game at Madison Square Garden. This is game one of a best-of-seven series between the 2 seed Knicks and the 7 seed Celtics. The Knicks finished the regular season by winning 16 of their final 18 games. They took care of Atlanta 98-92 on Wednesday night to finish off the season. Carmelo Anthony, the 2012-1013 NBA Scoring Champion, led the league with 28.7 points per game for coach Mike Woodson. These teams met four times during the regulars season and the Knicks won three of those meetings. The Celtics enter the 2013 Postseason after losing in Toronto on Wednesday night 114-90 to end their regulars season. Boston is coming off an emotional week after the Boston Marathon Bombings in which their Tuesday night tilt against the Indiana Pacers at the TD Garden was canceled. Paul Pierce leads the Celtics with an average of 18.6 points per game for coach Doc Rivers. This should be a fun series to watch starting with this game. Look for the hometown Knicks to open up the playoffs with a win in front of their home crowd at the Garden.