The NBA slate on Sunday is mostly uninspiring, but there are some things to look forward to if you dig deep enough. Kevin Durant vs. Carmelo Anthony is the obvious match-up of the day, we root for ugliness in the Bulls-Lakers game and Chris Paul is expected to return.
NBA schedule 2014: Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony square off in Oklahoma City
The league’s top two scorers meet up in Oklahoma City and Chris Paul brings the “Lob” back to Lob City.
Main Course
ABC; 1 p.m. ET
Kevin Durant is leading the league at 31 points per game. Carmelo Anthony is second, netting 27.4 points a contest. Durant scored 54 points a few weeks ago against the Warriors. Anthony answered a week later with 62 points at the Garden. The pair split the last four scoring titles. What I'm saying is that watching these two go back-and-forth is well worth your time and putting the match up on a national broadcast is the perfect way to set the stage.
New York can’t keep from tripping over its own feet: it wins five in a row, then drops five straight. It wins four straight contests, then stumbles through the next three. If the Knicks were more serious contenders, then this game would be better. For now, however, it’s all about Durant and Anthony because the two are both fantastic offensive players.
Appetizer
ABC; 3:30 p.m. ET
This is admittedly not a very good national game. The Lakers are a mess on both ends and have dealt with a blunder of injuries and misfortune. The Bulls score at the league’s third worst rate and does so with a bland, lack of creativity and players not suited to create efficient shots. Still, Los Angeles has won two straight games and the Bulls are in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff chase. At the very least, we can still root for all of the Lakers to foul out.
Dessert
League Pass; 9:30 p.m. ET
CHRIS PAUL BACK. Well, he’s expected back and if that’s the case then his return is well worth watching in the NBA’s nightcap. It marks the end of Blake Griffin Ball, which is a fantastically fun form of dunking and passing and big man dribbling that has dominated Clippers opponents over the last month. That’s sad. But, still, CP3 is back which makes Lob City complete and turns the Clippers from aesthetically pleasing to legitimate championship contenders.
More: Liberty Ballers Clips Nation
Other games
NBA TV; 6 p.m. ET
League Pass; 6 p.m. ET
League Pass; 6 p.m. ET
League Pass; 6 p.m. ET
League Pass; 6 p.m. ET
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