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.

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.

Lakers at Heat Game Preview

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Today at 2:30 on ABC, the Los Angeles Lakers (24-27) visit the AmericanAirlines Arena to take on the defending champion Miami Heat (33-14). The Lakers have had an up and down season, and have won one straight. They had a 20 point third quarter deficit erased on Friday night to down the Charlotte Bobcats, 100-93. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers in that game with 20 points. He also had seven rebounds and eight assists. Kobe has been a facilitator lately. In a four game stretch that were all wins, Bryant had 48 assists in four games. He still leads LA with 27.4 points per game to go along with 5.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. The Heat enter this Sunday Showcase on a four game win streak that started in Toronto back on Sunday. Their latest win was a 111-89 blowout win at home against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night in which  Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, and Chauncy Billups all returned from injuries. LeBron James, the reigning MVP and is headed to the All-Star game next week, finished with a game high 30 points in the win despite both Ray Allen and Chris Bosh being out with the flu. James leads Miami with an average of 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists each game. Amid all the distractions surrounding the Lakers, I think the Heat will play lights out and come out with a very convincing victory to make it five in a row.

Los Angeles Game Notes
Miami Game Notes

Top 5 Bottom 3 NBA Teams

Top 5
1.  Los Angeles Clippers
2.  Miami Heat
3.  New York Knicks
4.  Oklahoma City Thunder
5.  San Antonio Spurs

Bottom 3
3.  Orlando Magic
2.  Charlotte Bobcats
1.  Washington Wizards

While the NBA standings are taken into consideration, they are just a reference.  My rankings are based on how I feel about each team at this point in the season.

NBA Christmas Day Nuggets vs. Clippers Preview

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Tonight at 9:30 on ESPN the 15-13 Denver Nuggets visit the Staples Center to take on the 21-6 Los Angeles Clippers and Lob City. The Nuggets come into LA having won their last game on Saturday night against the Charlotte Bobcats, 110-88 in Denver. They are led by guard Danilo Gallinari, who is averaging 15.6 points a game this season  for coach George Karl. The white-hot Clippers come into this game having won a whopping 13 straight games, with their last loss coming on November 26. They are led by forward Blake Griffin, who is putting up 18.3 points per game, and 8.9 rebounds a game. He is also second in leading the league in dunks, with 71 dunks this season. The league leader in dunks, JaVale McGee, is a reserve center for the Nuggets. Don't expect the winning streak to end for LA now, as they should come out with an easy win tonight to run their win streak to 14.

NBA Christmas Day Rockets vs. Bulls Preview

Tonight on ESPN at 7pm, the 14-12 Houston Rockets visit the 15-11 Chicago Bulls at the United Center. The Rockets are coming off of an impressive 25 point win at home against one of the best teams in the West, the Memphis Grizzlies. Houston will be coming to Chicago for the one and only time this season, but they met in Houston back in November, when the Rockets escaped with a 93-89 win. They are led by guard James Harden, who is averaging 25.6 points a game this season, his first since being traded from Oklahoma City on October 27. Chicago is doing very well without their MVP point guard, Derrick Rose, who is recovering from a torn ACL in the playoffs last April.They are coming off of a disappointing 92-75 loss at the Atlanta Hawks. They are led by guard Luol Deng, who is averaging 17.8 points per game. Despite the way that Chicago is playing without their leader, I still expect Houston's duo of James Harden and Jeremy Lin to play up to expectations, and to take this Christmas Day matchup over the Chicago Bulls.