NBA Playoff Schedule 2016: TV Guide, Live Stream Schedule for Sunday Games
The 2016 NBA postseason keeps on chugging right along with four games on Sunday, three of them featuring the top contenders for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Houston Rockets will look to mount another successful defense of their home court against the top-seeded Golden State Warriors. James Harden's late, go-ahead jumper delivered the Rockets a 97-96 win in Game 3 on Thursday, but the Warriors were again playing without superstar Stephen Curry, who was out for the second game in a row with a sprained right ankle.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expects Curry to play in Game 4, per ESPN.com's news services. If that is the case, Houston's chances of repeat success at the Toyota Center look grim.
Elsewhere, the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers will look to complete four-game sweeps of the Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons, respectively. Any opportunity for extra rest is a boon to the Spurs and Cavs, who are perhaps the best threats to win the NBA championship other than the Warriors.
The Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks are also on the schedule, with the former looking to pull the series level at two games apiece at home.
| 1 p.m. | San Antonio Spurs | Memphis Grizzlies | ABC | WatchESPN | SAS 3-0 MEM |
| 3:30 p.m. | Golden State Warriors | Houston Rockets | ABC | WatchESPN | GSW 2-1 HOU |
| 6 p.m. | Atlanta Hawks | Boston Celtics | TNT | TNT Overtime | ATL 2-1 BOS |
| 8:30 p.m. | Cleveland Cavaliers | Detroit Pistons | TNT | TNT Overtime | CLE 3-0 DET |
Note: Live streams can be found at WatchESPN and TNT Overtime.
Stephen Curry on the Mend
Despite the Warriors missing their best player in Game 3, the Rockets still needed some uncharacteristic play from the championship favorites to eke out a one-point victory at home.
The Warriors shot just 24 percent from beyond the arc, including a 0-of-7 night from Klay Thompson, and were out-rebounded 66-51. Draymond Green turned the ball over seven times, the last an embarrassing dribble off his foot that sent the ball out of bounds and ruined his team's only chance to top Harden's go-ahead winner.
Credit still goes to Houston for getting the win—after all, it's only the 10th time the Warriors have lost all season—but Golden State has already proved it can beat this team without Curry, and it should be getting him back Sunday.
Curry's ankles have long been a problem for the sharpshooter, but even a tentative, careful version of him should be enough to lift Golden State to a win at the Toyota Center. With Curry on the court in Game 1, Golden State cruised to a 104-78 victory. The 28-year-old point guard says it's been tough to be watching from the sidelines.
“Awful,” he said, per the New York Times' Scott Cacciola. “It’s only been five days, but when you miss that much time literally not doing anything, it’s tough.”
Golden State's burning desire for greatness in every form doesn't allow the team to relax much (except for when it gets to rest the starters in blowouts). Thompson should be able to bounce back from his poor shooting night, and Harden can only do so much to keep the Rockets in contention.
Harden managed his best game of the series in Game 3, scoring 35 points on 11-of-26 shooting from the floor. Rockets head coach J.B. Bickerstaff tried out some new strategies to keep him away from the Warriors' swarming defense, per ESPN.com's Calvin Watkins:
"In pick and roll, they were putting bodies on him and sometimes sending three guys to him. Draymond Green does a good job of being in the help spot and being able to find the ball. So we put him in spots [where] the double team will take longer to get there or if you double team there are quicker and easier outlets for him to guys who can knock down shots.
"
It worked for at least one night, but the lack of a secondary scoring threat from the Rockets means Kerr can focus on adjusting to Bickerstaff's tactical deployment of Harden. Kerr already hinted he has a new plan.
“I’m not going to tell you what we’re going to do,” Kerr said with a smile, per Watkins.
Unless Dwight Howard somehow starts playing like a wrecking ball down low again, it's tough to see how Houston will be able to keep up with Golden State's attack.
Harden is the only player on Houston right now who seems capable of unlocking a great Golden State defense on his own. Poor shooting from Trevor Ariza, Patrick Beverley and Donatas Motiejunas in this series only compounds the problem. Even if one of them catches fire, the Warriors can likely afford to defend Harden one-on-one and extinguish the flames.
If for some reason Curry doesn't suit up, the Rockets have a chance, but it will again take their best shot. With Curry on the floor, Game 4 could be a rout.
Can Isaiah Thomas Deliver an Encore?
After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, the Boston Celtics got one back on the Atlanta Hawks with a 111-103 victory in Game 3 at the TD Garden in Boston.
The 111 points were 39 more than they scored in Game 2, with point guard Isaiah Thomas mostly responsible for the immediate offensive turnaround.
Thomas dropped 42 points on the Hawks on Friday. He shot 12-of-24 from the field, knocked down five three-pointers and made 13 of 15 free throws. He was out early on the break on several occasions, constantly found seams in the defense with his crisp dribbling and contorted his body well to draw fouls while driving to the hoop.
CBS Sports' Matt Moore opined the game would change the perception of the underestimated point guard:
"The Celtics largely gave Thomas his space and allowed him to do what makes him great. He plays within the context of the offense and makes the plays he needs to. He has come to trust his teammates more. More than anything, though, he has proven he has that special "it" factor that makes a Celtic, that makes a player worthy of putting on the jersey with so much history.
Thomas was underrated as a prospect, underrated as a rookie, underrated as a young player, and underrated as an All-Star this season. After Friday's performance, he won't be underrated anymore.
"
As brilliant as he was, there is one aspect of Thomas' Game 3 performance the Celtics will hope he doesn't carry over into Game 4. Cameras caught Thomas striking Hawks forward Dennis Schroder's head in the first quarter of Friday's contest.
Thomas won't face a suspension for the incident, but the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach notes the prospect of missing Game 4 did cross his mind:
"Thomas was initially confident that he would avoid a suspension, but as he heard the Hawks begin to shape the narrative, he worried that the NBA might make an example out of him.
On Saturday, though, the Celtics exhaled when Thomas was retroactively assessed a flagrant-1 foul but not suspended.
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The Cauldron's Andy Glockner was surprised Thomas didn't receive a suspension:
Atlanta still controls the series, but it will have to find a way to slow Thomas in Game 4. The Hawks' strong team defense is capable of keeping the rest of the Celtics under control, but Thomas is capable of breaking down all that good work with his movement with and without the basketball.
Atlanta has also had a terrible time shooting from beyond the arc in this series, which is uncharacteristic for a team that finished middle of the pack in that category during the regular season and features Kyle Korver. If the Hawks can find the range and keep Thomas under control, this series is theirs for the taking.
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