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Westbrook v Harden; Thunder v Rockets live on TNT Overtime

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HOUSTON, Sporting Alert – Russell Westbrook and James Harden, two of the top early candidates in the NBA MVP title race, will collide on Thursday night when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets face-off at Toyota Center live on TNT Overtime at 8:00 p.m. ET.

WESTBROOK V HARDEN

Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double this season, leads the NBA in scoring at 30.9 points per game, while Harden, his former teammate in Oklahoma City, sits fourth at 28.4.

Russell Westbrook OKC Thunder: NBA Scores
OKC Thunder guard Russell Westbrook reacts

Harden, though, is ahead in the assist per game column, with the Houston guard leads the lead with 11.9 helpers per contest.

Westbrook is second on the list with 10.5.

The Rockets (27-9) have won five straight games and are coming off a 101-91 victory over the Wizards on Monday night.

In the win at the top of the week, Eric Gordon scored 31 points and Harden had 23 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds for his third successive triple-double.

Westbrook scored 33 points and added 15 rebounds and eight assists, in Wednesday’s 123-112 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

It was the second defeat in a row for Oklahoma City, with Westbrook struggling to shoot the ball as well.

The energetic guard scored 30 points for the second straight game but combined to shoot 19 of 59 for only 32.2 percent through those two outings.

Oklahoma City (21-15), which was also beaten 98-94 by the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, has lost three of the last four games.

SERIES MEETING TIES AT 1-1

It will be the third meeting between the Thunder and the Rockets this season with the four-game series tied at 1-1.

Westbrook scored 30 points in a 105-103 victory for OKC on Nov. 16, but Houston returned the favour on Dec. 9 with a 102-99 win.

Meanwhile, besides Westbrook, Oklahoma City will look to get contributions from Victor Oladipo, who is averaging 16.2 points per game, Enes Kanter with 13.6 and Steven Adams at 12.2.

For the Rockets, Gordon is scoring 17.7 points per game, Ryan Anderson is at 14.1, Trevor Ariza is at 12.4, while Clint Capela is averaging 11.8.

Watch the live stream on TNT Overtime, Watch TNT and TNT.

NBA schedule on Friday, Dec. 23; ESPN player to watch

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LOS ANGELES, Sporting Alert – The following is the NBA schedule for Friday 23 December along with the ESPN player to watch for selected matchups.

Nets at Cavaliers

Defending champion Cleveland will host Brooklyn at Quicken Loans Arena at 7:30 pm ET aiming to win its fourth straight and ninth in the last 10 games overall.

LeBron James and Co. beat the Bucks in back-to-back fixtures, including the 113-102 win on Wednesday night, and the Cavs (21-6) will be hoping for a sixth straight win at home.

The Nets (7-21) are coming off a 117-101 defeat at home against the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night, which was their fourth setback in a row.

Entering Friday night’s game, James is averaging 25.5 points, 8.8 assists and 7.8 rebounds per game for the Cavaliers.

Also for the Cavs, points guard Kyrie Irving is scoring 24.2 points and assisting 5.3 times per game this season. Kevin Love is averaging 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds, but could miss the game with a knee injury.

Brook Lopez is averaging 20.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for Brooklyn. Shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick is scoring 15.6 points for the Nets.

Warriors at Pistons

NBA preseason: Kevin Durant Warriors
Kevin Durant for the Warriors in NBA preseason

Golden State stays on the road on Friday night against Detroit at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Tip-off time is set for 7:30 pm ET.

The Warriors (26-4) rallied in the second half to beat the Nets 117-101 on Thursday night, while the Pistons (14-17) were beaten by the Memphis Grizzlies, 98-86 on Wednesday night.

Golden State has won five games in a row and nine of the last 10 overall with the lone defeat in the span came on the road.

Detroit was beaten 98-86 in the last outing and is on a four-game losing streak over the past week. The Pistons have dropped five of their eight outings this season against teams from the Western Conference.

Kevin Durant is the ESPN player to watch for the Warriors on Friday night. The star forward is scoring 25.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists per game since his move from the Oklahoma City Thunder during the offseason.

Stephen Curry is scoring 24.4 points, Klay Thompson is putting out 21.4 points per battle, while forward Draymond Green is averaging a near triple-double with 10.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 7.2 assists this season.

For the Pistons, Andre Drummond is the main contributor this season – averaging a double-double with 14.0 points and 13.6 rebounds and is shooting 53 percent from the field.

Tobias Harris with 15.6 points per game is the leading scorer for Detroit this season, while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is scoring 14.2 per outing.

Mavericks at Clippers

At the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the LA Clippers will hope Chris Paul will recover from a muscle injury to feature against the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

Paul strained his left hamstring late in the third during the win over San Antonio on Thursday night, but the point guard said he’s “OK’ and hopes to play on Friday.

The Clippers (22-8) are already without star forward and leading scorer Blake Griffin (21.2 PPG).

Paul is Los Angeles’ main contributor this season – averaging 17.6 points, 9.6 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. DeAndre Jordan is averaging a double-double with 11.7 points and 12.9 rebounds this term.

If Paul is unable to feature Friday night, then Raymond Felton is expected to start.

Dallas (8-21), meanwhile, is having a disastrous campaign despite winning two of the last three games.

Harrison Barnes scored 28 points to help the Mavericks held on for a 96-95 win against the Portland Trail Blazers, who fell just short in an intense rally.

Barnes is the ESPN player to watch for Dallas on Friday night. He’s averaging 20.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks are reporting that Dirk Nowitzki (right Achilles strain) and Andrew Bogut (knee) are both out vs. the Clippers, while J.J. Barea (left leg muscle strain) is listed as questionable.

Complete NBA Schedule For Friday Night
December 23, 2016

Chicago at Charlotte 7:00 PM
Los Angeles Lakers at Orlando 7:00 PM
Brooklyn at Cleveland 7:30 PM
Oklahoma City at Boston 7:30 PM NBATV
Golden State at Detroit 7:30 PM
Washington at Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Houston at Memphis 8:00 PM
Miami at New Orleans 8:00 PM
Sacramento at Minnesota 8:00 PM
Atlanta at Denver 9:00 PM
Toronto at Utah 9:00 PM
Philadelphia at Phoenix 9:00 PM
San Antonio at Portland 10:00 PM
Dallas at LA Clippers 10:30 PM NBATV

Westbrook v Harden: NBA Live ESPN Schedule – Dec. 9

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Sporting Alert – Russell Westbrook will lead the Oklahoma City Thunder in a home Western Conference clash against the Houston Rockets on Friday night.

The game, which takes place at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, is one of two games broadcasting nationally on ESPN and WatchESPN tonight at 8:00 pm ET.

Two other Western Conference teams, the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers will battle in the other game on the ESPN network – with tip-off time set for 10:30pm ET at STAPLES Center.

Who To Watch: Houston at Oklahoma City

The Thunder (14-8) have won six straight games since ending their three-game skid, thanks in large to energetic point Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook is averaging a triple-double this season with 31 points, 11.3 assists and 10.9 rebounds per game.

Several basketball experts and pundits have questioned whether the point guard’s craving for triple-doubles is benefiting the Thunder, and from the look of things, it certainly has.

Westbrook has recorded six straight triple-doubles, the fourth-longest streak in NBA history and those numbers have the Thunder rolling again, following a patchy period during early and mid-November.

Russell leads the NBA with 11 triple-doubles this campaign and has been backed heavily to collect his seventh straight and 12th overall for the term.

Houston Is No Pushers

James Harden has also been productive for the Rockets, with the guard averaging 28.5 points, 11.4 assists and 7.5 rebounds per game heading into Friday’s clash.

Houston (15-7) has won four straight and six of the last seven games, many thanks to Harden overall contributions and Eric Gordon recent streaky scoring.

Harden leads the league in assists, just ahead of Westbrook.

He is the fourth highest scorer in the NBA in the 2016-17 term and is scoring 25 percent of his team’s points.

Meanwhile, Gordon, who made a career-high and franchise-best eight 3-pointers in a 134-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, has scored at least 23 points four times in the last six contests.

On Friday, Westbrook and Harden will square off for the 12th time, with the Thunder star leading the head-to-head meeting 6-5 and has won three of the last four meetings.

More NBA Games

Elsewhere in the NBA on Friday night, defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers (15-5) will host the Miami Heat at Quicken Loans Arena looking for their third straight win.

Early team reports are saying forward Kevin Love (back) and guard J.R. Smith (knee) are both questionable for the game, while forward Channing Frye will not play because of personal reasons.

Miami, which was restricted to just eight players because of injuries in the defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, has lost three in a row.

In other games on the NBA schedule for Friday, Boston Celtics host the Toronto Raptors, the Hawks will travel to face to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Dallas Mavericks play host to the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves entertain Detroit Pistons and New York Knick make the trip to face the Sacramento Kings.

NBA SCHEDULE
Friday, December 9

Orlando Charlotte 7:00 PM
Miami Cleveland 7:30 PM
Toronto Boston 7:30 PM
Atlanta Milwaukee 8:00 PM
Houston Oklahoma City 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Detroit Minnesota 8:00 PM
Indiana Dallas 8:30 PM
Phoenix Los Angeles 10:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
New York Sacramento 10:30 PM

Cavaliers v Clippers: Watch Live Stream On TNT Overtime

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CLEVELAND, Sporting Alert – The Los Angeles Clippers will try to snap a three-game losing streak when they visit defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night.

Watch the game, which tips-off at 8:00 pm ET, live on TNT, TNT Overtime and Watch TNT.

The Clippers (14-5) have dropped three in a row and are coming off a surprised 127-122 double-overtime defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday.

Cleveland (13-3) also lost by 17 points to the Bucks on Tuesday and will be hoping to bounce back against a team that could very well feature in the NBA finals.

CLIPPERS DEFEAT TO NETS

Tuesday night’s game saw Los Angeles starting without star forward Blake Griffin, who was rested, and ended with head coach Doc Rivers being thrown out near the end of the first overtime for being too aggressive towards referee Ken Mauer.

There was no doubt the experienced coach was very upset about something but was he mad at the officials or his own team?

The Clippers went into the clash with the Nets as heavy favourites, but blew an 18-point lead and got ripped into.

Rivers revealed that he felt his players didn’t show Brooklyn enough respect when they were leading and got punished.

BASKETBALL GODS PUNISHED US – RIVERS

“We lost our respect for the game,” he said. “I thought we lost our humility. I thought we were playing great, we got up, we got cool, we stopped moving the ball, we went showtime, and I think when that happens you deserve to lose the game.

“I really do. I think champions have humility throughout the game, and I thought we lost that as a group.

“We started turning the ball over, we stopped defending as hard because we were up. We were more concerned about getting the ball back so we could try to go score.”

Rivers also added he felt his dismissal from the sideline was wrongful.

“It was an awful tech,” he said. “Honestly, I think you guys know why the tech was called.

“The official who had nothing to do with the play thought I was yelling at Lauren, and I wasn’t.”

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers head into this home matchup looking for an immediate reply after they had a four-game winning streak snapped by the Milwaukee Bucks, who stunned the defending champs 118-101.

“They played harder than we did,” Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue said after the game.

The other game streaming live on TNT, TNT Overtime and Watch TNT on Thursday night is the battle between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena.

Golden State (16-2) is cruising on a 12-game winning streak and will be hunting a 13th straight against the Rockets (11-7), who were beaten 120-101 on Tuesday by the Utah Jazz.

TNT Overtime | TNT NBA Coverage

Los Angeles Clippers at Cleveland Cavaliers 8:00 PM TNT
Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors 10:30 PM TNT

Clippers, Warriors Live On ESPN3 Schedule: Nov. 16

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LOS ANGELES, Sporting Alert – There are two nationally broadcast NBA games on Wednesday night and both matchups are available to follow on the ESPN3 schedule.

Tipping off at 8:00pm ET is the contest between the Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors before the Memphis Grizzlies travel to take on the Los Angeles Clippers at 10:30pm.

The two games are available through the ESPN3 Multiview option, with ESPN also providing live television broadcasting coverage.

At the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and the Warriors (8-2) will take a 4-1 away record into the matchup with the Raptors (7-3), who have a 4-2 record at home this term.

Toronto heads home on Wednesday night seeking some home comfort after a hard-fought 121-117 loss to the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday.

Since getting routed by the LA Lakers on Nov 4, Golden State has won four straight games and is also doing a very good job sharing the ball as well.

According to ESPN via Elias Sports, the Warriors are assisting on an NBA-high 70-percent of field goals this year, which is way above the league average of 57-percent.

The opponents for tonight, the Raptors, are sitting last in that category at 47-percent.

Golden State is also ranked first in the NBA this year in scoring and assisting per game with 116.4 points and 30.5 helpers.

Kevin Durant is the top all-around contributor for Steve Kerr’s side at an average of 27.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game.

DeMar DeRozan, who has led Toronto in scoring in nine of the 10 games so far this season, is averaging 33.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per battles.

Golden State is a 6.0-point favourite to win.

Meanwhile, the hottest team in the league at the moment, the Los Angeles Clippers will take a seven-game winning streak into their clash with the Memphis Grizzlies at STAPLES Center.

Game time for this tip-off is 10:30pm ET.

The last time these two clubs met, Memphis point guard Mike Conley scored 30 points but was unable to prevent the Clippers from coming away 99-88 winners on Nov 4.

Heading into Wednesday’s clash, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index has given the Chris Paul-led Los Angeles squad an 88-percent chance to defeat Memphis.

ESPN3 Schedule NBA Live
Wednesday, November 16

Washington at Philadelphia 7:00 PM
New Orleans at Orlando 7:00 PM
Cleveland at Indiana 7:00 PM
Dallas at Boston 7:30 PM
Houston at Oklahoma City 8:00 PM
Milwaukee at Atlanta 7:30 PM
Detroit at New York 7:30 PM
Multiview – Golden State Warriors at Toronto Raptors 8:00 PM – ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN3
Phoenix at Denver 9:00 PM
Multiview – Memphis Grizzlies at LA Clippers 10:30 PM – ESPN, WatchESPN, ESPN3
San Antonio at Sacramento 10:30 PM

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