Our nightly look ahead to the schedule with a couple of notes and story lines so you can plan out your NBA viewing. All Times Eastern.
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8:00 LA Lakers at Boston Celtics (TNT)
Celtics-Lakers is one of the most storied rivalries in all of sports. These teams have battled for decades. Right now, these two teams are like aging fighters who are relying on experience to guide them past younger, faster, stronger opponents. Will this game turn into Ali-Frazier and an epic “Thrilla in Manila”? Or will it be a sad display of old, slow teams kidding themselves into thinking they are contenders?
These guys are evenly matched, and they all know how much this game means to their fans. I expect a war.
Couple of notes:
- Pau Gasol has grabbed 44 rebounds over the last three games, giving him three-straight double-doubles.
- Paul Pierce is averaging nearly 27 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists per game in February
Other story lines for tonight
9:00 Golden State-Denver: The shorthanded Nuggets, who have come crashing back to Earth, look to avoid their longest losing streak in five years.
9:00 Houston-Phoenix: The Suns look to avenge a blowout loss to Houston, which was their last loss before their current three-game winning streak
10:30 Oklahoma City-Sacramento (TNT): Kevin Durant, who has scored 33 in each of his last two games, heads to a building in which he averages nearly 33 points per game (Sacramento’s Power Balance Pavilion)… his highest average in any arena.
John’s Picks:
Boston, Golden State, Phoenix, Oklahoma City
Last Night: 3-8
Season: 44-26
