NBA playoffs schedule and results: Thunder outlast Rockets in classic Game 3

After an NBA Saturday that provided some unforgettable moments, Sunday’s hoop lineup features a quarter of games each with increasing intrigue.

Kicking off NBA Sunday is a showdown between the No. 2 Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 7 Indiana Pacers. The Pacers trail the Cavaliers, 0-3, in the series and are on the brink of being swept on their home floor. Paul George and Lance Stephenson will need two huge games to get a W over Cleveland, but they will have to change the way they defend LeBron James and the Cavs’ spread lineup if they want a shot.

Maybe the Los Angeles Clippers really are cursed.

It happened again on Friday, that inevitable final chapter that seems to conclude all of their seasons these days. On a seemingly innocuous drive to the rim, Blake Griffin came down wrong, immediately headed to the locker room, and now has been ruled out for the postseason again. It’s the second straight season-ending injury in the playoffs for Griffin, and it’s the fourth year that something has happened to Los Angeles in the postseason.

We will have no 3-0 leads coming from Friday’s games, with both teams who trailed by two games picking up a win. First came Boston, who shifted Gerald Green into the starting five and found their offense once again. It was a panic move, because anything happens in a panic when a top seed goes down two games to none against the No. 8 team. But Green scored eight points, and it reinvigorated the Celtics enough for the win.

It’s not quite the same situation, but the Thunder also won Game 3 to prevent that just about insurmountable 3-0 deficit. James Harden dropped 44 points in the loss, amazingly.

For a moment, it looked like Boris Diaw had tied the game between the Jazz and the Clippers with seconds remaining. With five seconds left down three, Utah inbounded straight to Diaw, who was intentionally fouled and immediately shot up a three that splashed home.

The shot was waved off, with the referees deciding the foul had come before Diaw went into his shooting motion, and it was the right call. Diaw clearly only started his shooting motion after he was grabbed. But where people can reasonably get annoyed is that some NBA referees have allowed much more generous continuation calls this season, especially with star players. I even wonder if referees would have sided on giving Diaw the shot if it had happened earlier in a game, though obviously no one can say that for sure.

Chris Paul is the world’s smallest bully. The Jazz found that out the hard way on Friday night as the Clippers’ veteran point guard powered a second half comeback to give Los Angeles a 111-106 win in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Paul has been in takeover mode late in games all series. That trend continued in Game 3. Paul scored 24 of his team-high 34 points in the second half to rally the Clippers back from a nine-point halftime deficit.

Blake Griffin will not return to Game 3 of the Jazz-Clippers series with a bruised right toe, the Clippers announced on Friday. Griffin headed back to the locker room after apparently sustaining the injury on this play.

He didn’t appear to be pleased leaving the court.

Victor Oladipo has to make sure he’s more involved for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Here’s a good start.

The Thunder’s second-leading scorer struggled in Game 1 and 2, averaging less than 10 points per game, but this steal, around-the-back save, and flush is exactly what he needed to get going. And hey, Russell Westbrook picked up an assist, too. That’s good news for everyone involved.