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NBA Playoffs First Round Game 1 Schedule: April 16

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Sporting Alert – The 2016 NBA playoffs will tip-off this weekend with four games with defending champions Golden State Warriors starting the second half of their championship defense.

After finishing the regular season with a record 73 wins to break the Chicago Bulls’ 1995-96 old mark, the Warriors (73-9) will look to refocus again after the celebrations, as they seek to build on what has been an outstanding campaign thus far.

Stephen Curry and Golden State will get their 2016 playoff campaign under way on Saturday in Game 1 of the Western Conference first round against the Houston Rockets in Oakland, CA.

Action from the ORACLE Arena will start at 3:30 PM ET and it will be live on ABC and streaming live on the Watch ABC App. Coverage will also be available on Sportsbet One, with live radio streaming on KTRH 740 AM and KNBR 1050 AM.

The Warriors head into this battle with the Rockets (41-41) favored by 13-points.

Golden State has defeated Houston in 11 of their last 12 meetings and the reigning champions are being back at 97-percent to win this series, this is according to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index.

The other Western Conference first-round Game 1 matchup on Saturday sees the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks going head-to-head.

Oklahoma City (55-27), which starts at 12 points favorites to win this game, will host the first two games of the series at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

And according to ESPN’s BPI, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder have a 93-percent chance of brushing aside the Mavericks in their opening-round series.

There are many who also believe that Oklahoma City should have things their way in this series.

Dallas and the Thunder have met twice before in the playoffs and this series is locked at 1-1.

On their way to the 2011 championships, the Mavericks beat Oklahoma City in five games in the Western Conference finals, but Durant and OKC turned things around the following year by completely sweeping the Texas side in the first round.

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Game time on Saturday night is 9:30PM ET and the action will be live on ESPN, Sportsnet One, Fox Sports Oklahoma HD and KTXA. Live radio stream is on 103.3 ESPN, WWLS 98.1FM OKC / 930AM (ESP).

Elsewhere on Saturday, there are two Eastern Conference first round Game 1 battles listed on the schedule.

At 12:30 PM ET, the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors (56-26) will do battle at the Air Canada Centre, live on ESPN, SNN, as well as radio coverage on 1070 The Fan, Sportsnet 590 The FAN.

At 7:00 PM ET at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA, the Boston Celtics (48-34) and the Hawks (48-34) will get their series underway.

ESPN’s BPI expects Atlanta to get past Boston in its first-round series, giving the Hawks a 62 percent chance to win, but noted that the series will be close.

NBA First Round – Game 1 on April 16

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets
Oklahoma City Thunder vs Dallas Mavericks

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Toronto Raptors vs Indiana Pacers
Atlanta Hawks vs Boston Celtics

TNT Overtime: Warriors v Spurs Stream, Preview, Time

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OAKLAND, Calif. Sporting Alert — The teams with the two best records in the NBA this season, the Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs will battle at Oracle Arena on Thursday night, live on TNT and TNT Overtime.

Watch: San Antonio Spurs at Golden State Warriors
Where To Watch: TNT Overtime Live Stream
Date: Thurs, April 7 – 10:30 PM ET

Defending champions Warriors, chasing the NBA all-time record for most wins, are 69-9 this season and they face a Spurs team which has a 65-12 record on the term.

The last time these two teams met at Oracle Arena, Golden State easily put away their Western Conference rivals 120-90, but San Antonio won the last time they went head-to-head.

How Will Spurs Line-up

It is still unclear about the kind of Spurs line-ups coach Greg Popovich will field on Thursday night, but experienced center Boris Diaw will play no part in this matchup.

Diaw, who has been dealing with a sore right adductor, has been ruled out of the game with the injury, which will be his second in succession after missing the win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.

The 33-year-old who is averaging 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds per game, and is a big part of what Spurs does defensively, is expected to miss all three of his team’s three-game road trip, which concludes at the Denver Nuggets on Friday.

Starters Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard are all expected to feature against the Warriors, but could play limited minutes on the road as Popovich looks to keep his key players fresh for the playoffs which is just around the corner.

Golden State, in the meantime, will more than likely play a strong team as coach Steve Kerr, back with the squad again, continues to encourage his players to go after the NBA all-time record for most wins.

According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Kerr was “a shell of himself” following a fluid leak in his spine.

Golden State is ranked first in the NBA in scoring, at 115.3 point per game and assists, at 29.1 per contest, and has an 88.5 percent win record this season, but has looked a shadow of themselves in recent outings, which saw them dropping two of the last three games.

According to ESPN Stats and Info, the team that controls the tempo on Thursday night is likely to come away with the victory.

If Golden State, who prefers to play fast gets going and settle quickly in their outside shooting groove, have things its way, then San Antonio could struggle again like it did when they first visited the Oracle Arena earlier season.

However, is Spurs get to play the slow building style of play, and dictate the speed, they could end the defending champions’ quest to break the record.

Stephen Curry, the reigning MVP, and the man leading the race to for this year’s award, heads into the clash averaging 30.0 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.2 percent overall from the floor and 45.6 percent from long-range.

In his two games again San Antonio this season, Curry is putting up 25.5 points, 4.5 assists and four rebounds.

Golden State Warriors v Oklahoma City Thunder TNT Overtime

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OAKLAND, CA, Sporting Alert – Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala are both doubtful for the Golden State Warriors, but the champs are still favored by 7.5 points to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Watch Live Streaming Of This Game On TNT Overtime @ 10:30 p.m. ET

The two players were held out of Tuesday night’s win over the Atlanta Hawks because of injury problems and the Warriors revealed Thursday morning that they are both questionable to face the Thunder.

Curry, the reigning MVP and the league’s leading scorer, is questionable with the ankle injury that also forced him out of the win over the Hawks, although sources are saying the All-Star point guard is hoping to play a part in the contest.

The 27-year-old is averaging career-highs 30.7 points 5.3 rebounds per game, while dishing out 6.6 assists per contest and shooting 51.5 percent from the floor.

Curry scored 46 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer in the overtime win against Oklahoma City when the Warriors and Thunder last battle at the weekend.

Iguodala, meanwhile, is questionable with a hamstring issue on his left leg.

When the hosts take the court on Thursday night, the defending champions who are 54-5 overall this season, will try to equal the NBA’s mark of 44 successive regular-season home wins, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

The Warriors are 25-0 at home this season and head coach Steve Kerr thinks the record has helped to set the tone for such a productive season already.

“It’s a source of pride controlling our own floor,” Kerr said. “We’ve done an incredible job of that since last year.”

In the meantime, the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-19) head into the battle with the Warriors hoping to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

The Thunder squandered a 22 point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night and are desperate to get back to winning ways.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook continue to carry the Western Conference big boys, but a supporting cast is still needed, as other than Serge Ibaka, no other player is really consistently pulling their weight.

The last time these two sides met, the Warriors topped the Thunder 121-118 in overtime.

Oklahoma City had looked well set to seal the victory at home, but a costly turnover by Durant and then a foul on Iguodala, who connected on both free throws to force overtime play.

If Curry and Iguodala are unable to play on Thursday night, then look for shooting guard Klay Thompson and forward Draymond Green to provide the bulk of the contribution.

Against the Hawks, Golden State shot just 39.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from 3-point range, but expect them to improve at home.

In the defeat to the Clippers, Durant had 30 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots for the Thunder, while Westbrook, who continues to share the ball this season, finished with 24 points, 12 assists and six rebounds in LA.

Confident Miami Heat Host Warriors; NBA Schedule Feb. 24

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MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat welcome the Golden State Warriors at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Wednesday night.

The Warriors (50-5) head into this road game as eight-point favourites and seek their third straight win.

Miami (32-24), in the meantime, has won three games in a row and is coming off a battling 101-93 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

In the victory over the Pacers, point guard Goran Dragic scored 24 points and Hassan Whiteside continued his impressive showing this season with another balanced outing of 19 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks for the Heat, who remain without Chris Bosh because of health reasons.

But it wasn’t a very good shooting night for Wade, despite scoring 16 points, after the All-Star guard went just 4-for-21 from the field, and got half of his total points from free throws.

Golden State had to work hard for their victory over the Atlanta Hawks as well, this after blowing a 23-point lead and left it late in the fourth quarter.

Reigning MVP and the NBA leading scorer Stephen Curry scored 36 points for the Warriors, who became the fastest team in NBA history to reach 50 wins.

Miami isn’t expected to be able to matchup with Golden State in the scoring department, so head coach Erik Spoelstra is hoping his team’s defense, which is ranked second in the NBA this season, will be enough to pull off an unlikely upset at home.

The Warriors have dropped only five games this entire campaign, but all five defeats have come on the road where they have a 26-5 record.

Last time these two teams met on Jan 11, Curry scored 31 points and the defending champions took a 111-103 victory.

Curry comes into the matchup averaging 29.8 points, 6.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game and shooting 50.8 percent from the field. He is also shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range.

But besides Curry, the Miami Heat will need to keep a very close eye on the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The home side has some weapon of its own as well, but it will take a complete team effort to keep the traveling party quiet Wednesday night.

Nine other NBA games are on the schedule for Wednesday night.

Full NBA Schedule
Wednesday, February 24

Charlotte at Cleveland 7:00 PM FSOH
New York at Indiana 7:00 PM MSG FSMW
Philadelphia at Detroit 7:30 PM CSN FSDT
Golden State at Miami 7:30 PM CSNB SUN
Minnesota at Toronto 7:30 PM FSN TSN2
Washington at Chicago 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN, CSNB, CSNC
Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis 8:00 PM TWC SN
Oklahoma City at Dallas 8:30 PM FSOK FSSW
Denver at  Los Angeles Clippers 10:30 PM ALT FSW2
San Antonio at Sacramento 10:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN, KENS, CSAC

Thunder v Cavaliers Live On ESPN3: James v Durant?

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OKLAHOMA CITY, Sporting Alert – The Oklahoma City Thunder will look to rebound from their defeat to the Indiana Pacers the last time out when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. This game will be streaming live on ESPN3 and tip-off is at 3:30 ET.

Oklahoma City was beaten 101-98 at home by the Pacers on Friday night, despite Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combining to score 54 points.

Cleveland, in the meantime, is coming off a 106-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls two days ago, and LeBron James and company will seek to extend their good form with another victory on the road.

In the defeat to Indiana, Durant collected 31 points and eight rebounds and his partner in crime, Russell Westbrook added 23 points and a career-high 18 assists for the Thunder (40-15), who remain the top team in the Northwest division, but trail the Golden State Warriors by 9 1/2 games in the Western Conference standings.

Entering this game, Oklahoma City is averaging 109.9 points per game, which is second in the NBA this season, and allowing 101.9.

Westbrook, who many pundits believe has taken over from Durant as the go-to-man for the Thunder, is averaging 24.1 points, 10.1 assists, 7.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.

The All-Star point guard has collected five double-doubles in six outings in the NBA already this month, while shooting 50.5 percent, and averages 23.8 points and 12.2 assists per contest in February.

Last time against the Cavaliers, Westbrook finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in a 104-100 defeat on Dec. 17.

The Cavaliers (39-14), meanwhile, travel to Oklahoma City on a four-game winning streak, with three of those four wins coming against Western Conference outfits.

James, who leads the team in all the major areas, is averaging 25 points, 6.6 assists, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5 percent from the floor this campaign.

The four-time MVP has scored 20 or more points in 13 straight games, and is averaging 25.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists per game in February.

His supporting cast has been impressive this month as well, with one of the standouts, point guards Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 19 points per game this season — averaging 26.4 this month.

Elsewhere on Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs (46-9) travel to face the Pheonix Suns (14-41) at Talking Stick Resort Arena, Boston Celtics (32-24) meet the Denver Nuggets (22-33) and the Memphis Grizzlies (32-22) tackle the Toronto Raptors (35-18) at Air Canada Centre.

NBA Schedule and Live TV/Streaming
Sunday, February 21 – Via ESPN.com

New Orleans at Detroit 3:30 PM FSN FSDT
Cleveland at Oklahoma City 3:30 PM ABC/ESPN3/ WatchESPN
Boston at Denver 5:00 PM CSNN ALT
San Antonio at Phoenix 5:00 PM FSSW FSAZ
Charlotte at Brooklyn 6:00 PM YES
Indiana at Orlando 6:00 PM FSMW FSFL
Memphis at Toronto 6:00 PM TSN
Philadelphia at Dallas 7:00 PM CSN FSSW
Los Angeles at Chicago 8:00 PM ESPN/WatchESPN TWC SN WGN
Utah at Portland 9:00 PM ROOT CSNN

TNT Overtime: Cavs v Bulls; Clippers v Spurs – Feb 18

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CLEVELAND, Sporting Alert – Defending Eastern Conference champions Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday while the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Clippers meet in another game on the night.

Both set of games will be televised live on TNT, with NBA fans also having the opportunity to watch live streaming coverage of both games on TNT Overtime online.

Chicago (38-14) enters this game hunting its third win over Cleveland this season after securing wins in the previous two meetings on Oct 27 and Jan 23.

After Thursday night’s battle, these two Eastern Conference giants will meet again on Apr 9.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers (27-25) have won three straight games coming into this contest and they will be hoping to extend that streak with another victory at home.

Cavs leading contributor James has scored at least 20 points in his last 12 games, which matched his longest streak since he went back to the Cavs in 2014.

The four-time MVP is averaging 25 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game, while shooting 50.4 percent from the field this term.

Meanwhile, for the Chicago Bulls, they will be trying to stop a four-game losing streak.

The Bulls have dropped six of their last seven games.

Leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who is averaging 22.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, will not feature tonight for Chicago, as the shooting guard has been ruled out for three-to-four weeks with a strained left knee injury.

The Bulls are also without Joakim Noah and Nikola Mirotic who are both injured as well.

This means, star point guard Derrick Rose, who is averaging 15.9 points and 4.8 assists per game will need to play a big role in leading the offense if the Bulls are going to avoid a fifth straight defeat.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs, two of the top teams in the Western Conference will face-off live on TNT Overtime as well.

The Spurs (45-8) are on a six-game winning streak entering this game, while the Clippers, although losing to the Celtics before the All-Star break, have won three of the last four and seven in the last nine.

BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Live On TNT Overtime

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TORONTO — The 2016 NBA All-Star festivities will tip-off on Friday with the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

The complete weekend schedule will be streamed live on TNT Overtime, with TNT and NBA TV also broadcasting the major events live on television.

NBA and basketball fans on a hold will get the chance to see some of the league’s future stars in action when the likes of Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins, teammate Karl-Anthony Towns and New York Knicks’ Kristaps Porzingis all in action Friday night in the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge.

The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge will see a list of 20 players coming together for some fun times during this year’s NBA All-Star weekend.

The challenge Friday night will see the World Team taking on the U.S. Team.

Among the players selected on the U.S. Team are: Jahlil Okafor of the 76ers, Jabari Parker from the Bucks, Timberwolves’ Zach LaVine, teammate Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell of the Los Angeles Lakers and Marcus Smart of the Celtics.

Meanwhile, on the World Team, Nikola Mirotic from the Bulls, Porzingis, Wiggins, Bojan Bogdanovic of the Nets, Nikola Jokic of the Nuggets and Dwight Powell of the Mavericks, will all be in action.

Below is a complete list of the schedule for Friday night and fans can click the respective links see each event.

All times Eastern (ET)

• 9:30-11:30 a.m. | BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Practice | NBA TV
• 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. | NBA All-Star Media Day | NBA TV
• 1:30 p.m. | Hall of Fame Announcement | NBA TV & NBA.com
• 6 p.m. | The Starters | NBA TV
• 7 p.m. | NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Mountain Dew | ESPN
• 9 p.m. | BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge | TNT
• 11 p.m. | Inside the NBA presented by Kia | TNT
• 11 p.m. | BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge News Conferences | NBA.com
• 11 p.m. | After Dark with Rick Fox | NBA TV
• 11:30 p.m. | NBA GameTime | NBA TV

World Team Roster

Bojan Bogdanovic: Nets, G/F
Clint Capela: Rockets, F/C
Mario Hezonja: Magic, G/F
Nikola Jokic: Nuggets, C
Nikola Mirotic: Bulls, F
Emmanuel Mudiay: Nuggets, G
Raul Neto: Jazz, G
Kristaps Porzingis: Knicks, F/C
Dwight Powell: Mavericks, F/C
Andrew Wiggins: Timberwolves, G/F

U.S. Team Roster

Jordan Clarkson: Lakers, G
Rodney Hood: Jazz, G
Zach LaVine: Timberwolves, G
Nerlens Noel: 76ers, F/C
Jahlil Okafor: 76ers, C
Jabari Parker: Bucks, F
Elfrid Payton: Magic, G
D’Angelo Russell: LA Lakers, G
Marcus Smart: Celtics, G
Karl-Anthony Towns: Timberwolves, C

Howard Returns For Rockets, Duncan Out For Spurs: NBA Fixtures: Jan 27

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SAN ANTONIO, Sporting Alert – Dwight Howard will play for the Houston Rockets against the San Antonio Spurs in an NBA clash on Wednesday night. Live coverage will be on ESPN, starting at 8 p.m. ET. Also live on WatchESPN

The star center missed the past three Rockets (25-22) games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans with a sprained ankle, but will return to the lineup for the game against fellow Western Conference powerhouse Spurs.

Howard, who is shooting a team-high 61.2 percent from the floor for Houston this season, is averaging 14.4 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, while playing an average of 20.57 minutes per outing.

He is averaging 16.5 points and 12 rebounds against San Antonio this season from two games.

The Spurs won both previous meetings between these two sides.

Meanwhile, San Antonio will again be with its star center Tim Duncan, who continues to recover from right knee soreness.

Duncan, who is averaging career lows 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, missed the defeat against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night.

It will be the third game Duncan will miss in the past four outings.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Spurs this season in scoring, at 20 points per game, while pulling down 6.8 rebounds.

However, he is collecting 21 points and seven boards against Houston from two battles this campaign.

Shooting guard James Harden is averaging 27.7 points, seven assists and 6.3 rebounds per game for the Houston Rockets, who are on a three-game winning streak.

He is averaging 18.5 points and six assists per game against the Spurs this season, and shooting 41.9 percent from the two previous outings.

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge has been struggling in recent meetings for San Antonio, but he is averaging 21 points, nine rebounds, and is shooting 57.6 percent from the floor against the Rockets.

San Antonio, which is 24-0 at home this season, is favored by 10 points to beat Houston, while the game’s total is set at 209.

In the meantime, defending champions Golden State Warriors (41-4) put their undefeated and 21-0 home record on the line against the Dallas Mavericks.

Last time out at the ORACLE Arena, the Warriors hammered the Spurs 120-90 on Monday night with Stephen Curry scoring 37 points for the defending champions.

The Mavericks head into this game without star forward Dirk Nowitzki, who will be rested, the team reported.

The full NBA Schedule and TV Channels Are below:
Wednesday, January 27

Phoenix at Cleveland 6:00 PM FSAZ FSOH
Denver at Boston 6:30 PM ALT CSNN
Philadelphia at Detroit 6:30 PM CSN FSDT
Los Angeles Clippers at Atlanta 7:00 PM FSW2
Oklahoma City at Minnesota 7:00 PM FSOK FSN
Houston at San Antonio 7:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Charlotte at Utah 8:00 PM ROOT
Dallas at Golden State 9:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN, FSSW, CSNB

Duncan Sits For Spurs v Warriors: NBA Fixtures On Jan 25

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OAKLAND, CA, Sporting Alert – Tim Duncan will sit out for the San Antonio Spurs when they visit the Golden State Warriors in the highlighted NBA game on Monday night.

The matchup at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California, will see the two clubs with the best records in the league this season going head-to-head in a Western Conference face-off.

San Antonio (38-6) revealed in the build-up to the game that experienced center Tim Duncan will sit out this one due to knee soreness, although sources are saying Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wanted to take some of the hype out of the matchup this early in the season.

Duncan, who is an important member of the Spurs’ No. 1 ranked defense, is averaging 8.9 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game in 17.51 minutes this season.

The Warriors (40-4) are 20-0 at home this campaign and start as 5-point favorites to extend this streak to 21 straight wins, with the game’s total sitting at 210.5 points.

According to Elias Sports Bureau, Monday night’s NBA meeting between Golden State and San Antonio “will bring together the best combined winning percentage in NBA history between teams that have played at least 40 games each.”

Together the Spurs and the Warriors have an 88.6 winning percentage, which sits above the Bucks and Lakers (.871, 1/9/1972) and Celtics and 76ers (.833, 1/24/1967), reports Elias Sports Bureau.

When the game tip-off Monday night, San Antonio will look to extend its winning streak to 13 straight games, while its record on the road sits at 14-6.

Small forward Kawhi Leonard is averaging 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Spurs this season, while LaMarcus Aldridge comes in averaging 15.9 points and 8.9 boards per contest.

For the Warriors, Stephen Curry averages 30.1 points, 6.6 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. The reigning MVP is also shooting 51-percent from the floor overall and 45.1 percent from 3-point range.

Draymond Green of the Warriors leads the NBA with the most triple-doubles per game with eight, while Klay Thompson is averaging 20.5 points per game.

NBA Fixtures, TV Channels
Monday, January 25

Minnesota at Cleveland 6:00 PM NBATV FSN FSOH
Boston at Washington 6:00 PM CSNN CSNB
Miami at Chicago 7:00 PM SUN CSNC
Orlando at Memphis 7:00 PM FSFL
Houston at New Orleans 7:00 PM FSN
Atlanta at Denver 8:00 PM ALT
Detroit at Utah 8:00 PM FSDE+ ROOT
Charlotte at Sacramento 9:00 PM CSAC
San Antonio at Golden State 9:30 PM NBATV FSSW CSNB

Clippers Hoping To Rebound; NBA Fixtures, Channels-Jan 22

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NEW YORK, Sporting Alert – The Los Angeles Clippers will look to rebound from Thursday night’s setback against the Cleveland Cavaliers when they continue their road trip.

The LA Clippers, still playing without star forward Blake Griffin, suffered a 115-102 defeat at the Cavaliers, despite getting off to a solid start and Chris Paul scoring a game-high 30 points.

Friday night Paul and Co. (27-15, 12-8 Away) will travel to New York to face the Knicks (22-22, 13-8 Home) at Madison Square Garden.

Carmelo Anthony, who was recently named to his ninth All-Star Game roster, which matches George Gervin and Dominique Wilkins for the most NBA ASG selections without an NBA Finals appearance, has led his team to a pair of victories in the last two games and the star forward will be hoping to extend the streak at home.

It will be the first meeting between the two sides this season and the LA Clippers start as 1.5 point favourites.

Meanwhile, Golden State Warriors will have head coach Steve Kerr back on the bench for the first time this season, as he is set to return Friday against the Indiana Pacers.

Kerr missed the team’s first 43 games after undergoing back surgery after the title-winning season, but will make his season debut tonight.

The Warriors (39-4) in the absence of Kerr, has been led by the team’s assistant and interim coach Luke Walton.

It was first reported that all the wins and losses up to this point, would have been credited to Walton, but it is now understood that those numbers will go on Steve Kerr’s record, according to the NBA rules.

Indiana (23-19), which dropped the first meeting of the term 131-123 on Dec. 8, has dropped three of the last four games overall and could struggle again in this fixture.

In the three defeats prior to the 97-94 win over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, the Pacers have failed to hold teams below 100 points per game.

Golden State is yet to lose at home this campaign, and heads into the contest with a 19-0 home record.

The matchup between the Warriors and the Pacers will be live on ESPN and WatchESPN.

Elsewhere on Friday, fellow Western Conference powerhouses San Antonio Spurs (37-6, 13-6 Away) stay on the road to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (9-35, 5-14 Home) at STAPLES Center.

The Spurs go in search of their 13th successive win.

NBA Schedule and TV Channels
Friday, January 22 ET

Charlotte at Orlando 7:00 PM FSFL
Chicago at Boston 7:30 PM CSNN
Utah Brooklyn 7:30 PM ROOT YES
Los Angeles Clippers at New York 7:30 PM FSW2 MSG
Miami at Toronto 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN SUN Sportsnet One
Milwaukee at Houston 8:00 PM FSWI
Oklahoma City at Dallas 8:30 PM FSOK FSSW
Indiana at Golden State 10:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN FSMW CSNB
San Antonio at Los Angeles Lakers 10:30 PM FSSW TWC SN

Cavaliers v Warriors; NBA Fixtures, TNT Overtime Stream: Jan. 18

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CLEVELAND, OH, Sporting Alert – Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors renew their rivalry in what is expected to be a thriller in the NBA on Monday night.

This game, which will be played at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, and is a repeat of the NBA finals — will be televised live on TNT and streaming live online at TNT Overtime.

In their first meeting this season on Christmas Day, the Warriors came away victorious 89-83, with rising star Draymond Green pouring in 22 points and 15 rebounds for the home side at ORACLE Arena, in Oakland.

Stephen Curry had 19 points and Klay Thompson finished with 18 for Golden State, which had improved to 28-1 for the season at that time.

Cleveland, then, was 19-8.

First forward almost a month now and the Warriors (37-4) have dropped three more games and won 11, while the Cavaliers (28-10) have won nine and dropped two during that period.

Golden State heads into Monday night’s game on the back of a 113-95 defeat at the Detroit Pistons, while the defending champion has dropped two of their previous three games.

They are 8-2 in their last 10 games.

The Cavaliers, in the meantime, have won nine of their last 10 games, with the only defeat during that period coming against the San Antonio Spurs last Thursday.

As expected, a lot of the attention will be on Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for the Warriors, but Cavs four-time MVP LeBron James had high praise for forward Draymond Green, who is averaging career-highs 14.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game this term.

“I knew one thing: Whatever team got him was going to get a very smart, complete guy,” James about what he thought of Green, the former Michigan State — when he entered the league.

“Any guy who is able to get a triple-double in the college game, that means a lot. Not many possessions and the game isn’t that well-rounded in college.

“He did it multiple times in East Lansing and for the most part if he comes from under (Tom) Izzo, you’re going to have some basketball IQ. He has all the intangibles.”

Of course, most of the hype will be centered around Curry, Thompson, James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love on Monday night, which could open the doors for Green to steal the show again.

There is a lot of media hype about this game and Irving thinks it’s justified.

“They should,” he said. “We’re the two best teams playing right now.

“Number one in our respective conference and they’re number one in their conference.”

NBA Basketball Fixtures For Jan. 18

Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks 1:00 PM CSN MSG
Utah Jazz at Charlotte Hornets 2:00 PM ROOT
Portland at Washington Wizards 2:00 PM CSNN CSNB
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies 2:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN
Chicago Bulls at Detroit Pistons 3:30 PM WGN FSDT
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Spurs 99 v Cavaliers 95 Live Stream on TNT Overtime: FINAL

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SAN ANTONIO, Sporting Alert – The San Antonio Spurs and the Cleveland Cavaliers will meet in a classic NBA matchup live on TNT and TNT Overtime on Thursday night.

Watch Live Streaming on TNT Overtime | Follow Live GameCast

UPDATES: FOURTH QUARTER REPORT

The San Antonio Spurs defeated Cleveland Cavalier 99-95 to extend their home winning streak to 23-0 on Thursday night.

Tony Parker scored 24 points and Kawhi Leonard added 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks to lead the way for the Spurs (35-6) who shot 45.8 percent from the floor.

LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Tristan Thompson had 18 points and 14 rebounds, J.R. Smith had 17 points, Kyrie Irving ended with 16 points and Kevin Love had 10 points and 12 boards in the defeat for Cleveland (27-10) which fell to 12-9 on the road.

UPDATES: THIRD QUARTER REPORT

Cleveland leads San Antonio 73-72 at the end of the third quarter, with LeBron James leading the way with 16 points. J.R. Smith has 15, while Tristan Thompson ended the quarter with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kyrie Irving has 11 points and Kevin Love has seven points and 12 boards.

For the Spurs, Tony Parker has 20 points and Kawhi Leonard has 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

UPDATES: HALF TIME REPORT

The Cavaliers lead the Spurs 50-44 at halftime in their highlighted NBA clash in San Antonio. LeBron James leads the Cavs with 14 points and four rebounds, while J.R. Smith has 10 points. He scored all 10 in the first quarter.

Kevin Love has seven points and 10 rebounds.

Tony Parker leads the Spurs with a game-high 18 points.

UPDATES:
J.R. Smith scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including 2-of-2 from 3-pointers and the Cavaliers lead the Spurs 32-20 after the first quarter. Tristan Thompson has eight points and six rebounds so far.

For San Antonio, Tony Parker has six points, and Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili have four points each.

The Cavaliers shot 59 percent from the floor in the first quarter and are 3-of-3 from long range, while the Spurs have shot 40 percent.

——END FIRST QUARTER REPORTING—–

San Antonio (34-6) heads into this contest in search of its 10th successive win, while the hosts are undefeated at 22-0 at AT&T Center.

The Cavaliers (27-9) are on an eight-game winning streak heading into this game and will be hoping to keep that straight going and hand the Spurs their first defeat at home this season.

Last time these two teams met last March, the Cavaliers picked up a 128-125 overtime win after rallying from a double-digit deficit late in the game.

Cleveland, which is 12-8 on the road this season, is averaging 101.9 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the floor as a crew.

LeBron James is averaging 25.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game for the Cavs, while Kyrie Irving is averaging 16.5 ppg and Kevin Love, 16.2 ppg.

Kawhi Leonard leads the Spurs in scoring this season with 20.2 points per game, while LaMarcus Aldridge is averaging 16.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per battle.

San Antonio is scoring 103.8 points per game, which is the sixth-highest in the league this season, while allowing 89.7 points per game, which is the best in the league.

The Spurs are also ranked 2nd in assists per game, with 25.5 per contest, and pulling down 45.3 rebounds per contest.