It’s conference championship Sunday in the NFL which means a lot of eyes will be watching football. We’re here to tell you why you should watch basketball. We’re using Kevin Durant as bait.
NBA schedule: Kevin Durant back in action against surging Kings
Oklahoma City’s superstar scored 54 points his last time out. Will he go for seconds on Sunday?
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Main Course
League Pass; 7 p.m. ET
The Kings are 7-6 since Dec. 21, which sounds mediocre. But for a Sacramento team that has fallen flat on its face the past couple of seasons, it's a very promising start. The Kings -- since trading for Rudy Gay and Derrick Williams -- are no longer an easy out and that's something worth applauding.
But the real prize for spectators here is Kevin Durant, who scored 54 points on Friday. Durant is always worth your time, but seeing how he responds after such an amazing game is really worth watching, especially if he decides to go for Round Two. It just feels like Durant will eventually score 70 points in a game. Without Westbrook, more shots are relegated to him. I'm not saying he's going to score 70+ against the Kings, but I'm not saying he won't.
Appetizer
League Pass; 1 p.m. ET
The last time these two teams faced off, there were two glowing story lines: Kobe Bryant was returning to the floor and Rudy Gay had just been traded. Since that Dec. 8 game, the Raptors are 13-6 and their defensive rating has jumped up to sixth in the league. Bryant was injured again and the Lakers went 4-16 in that stretch and are now 10 games below .500. Is this a Lakers revenge game? Or is this the story of two teams heading in opposite directions in their respective standings?
Dessert
League Pass; 8 p.m. ET
Two teams fighting for a bottom playoff spot, the Suns and Nuggets are two of the 10 fastest-paced teams in the NBA, setting up what should be an up-and-down shootout. The Suns, however, are just 3-6 since Eric Bledsoe went down with a knee injury and have fallen to the eight seed in the West, while the Nuggets have bounced back after losing eight straight games a month ago. Still, the Suns are currently in the playoffs and the Nuggets are on the outside looking in. This game won't decide a playoff spot -- it's too early for that -- but it'll go a long way if either team is primed to make a run.
Other games:
League Pass; 6 p.m. ET
League Pass; 7 p.m. ET
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