NBA Playoffs 2014 Weekend Schedule, Bracket, Preview: Can Clippers, Pacers, Thunder Survive?
The opening round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs will come to a close this weekend, but basketball fans will surely have a lot to cheer about on Saturday and Sunday as five game sevens are set to take place.
Eastern Conference top seed Indiana Pacers will look to pick up from where they left off on Thursday night when they collide with the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The top-seeded Pacers avoided a huge upset on Thursday, extending the series into a decider with a 95-88 win in game six at the Philips Arena in Atlanta.
The Pacers are tipped to advance to the second round with the home-court advantage on their side. They also dodged a bullet as Paul George escaped suspension after the All-Star forward stepped on the court during an altercation between Pacers guard George Hill and Hawks forward Mike Scott.
The game is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. EST and will be broadcasted live by TNT.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Memphis Grizzlies will also collide in a "Win or Go Home" match at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City. Tip off will be at 8:00 p.m. EST.
The second-seeded Thunder staved off elimination in game six as they cruised to a dominating 104-84 win on Thursday at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.
The Thunder also got a huge break after the league suspended Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph for punching Steven Adams. Mike Conley also remains doubtful for Saturday's matchup with a right hamstring strain.
Randolph is averaging a team-high 18.2 points and 8.7 rebounds in the series, while Conley is averaging 15.2 points and 7.7 assists per game.
The drama-filled Los Angeles Clippers-Golden State Warriors series will also end on Saturday night as the two Western Conference powerhouse squads collide at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Clippers, whose performance in the playoffs has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding team owner Donald Sterling, failed to close out the series on Thursday as the Warriors escaped with a 100-99 win.
The Clippers-Warriors match will start at 10:30 p.m. EST.
And on Monday, the Toronto Raptors will look to protect their homecourt as they host the Brooklyn Nets in the penultimate game of the series at the Air Canada Centre, 1:00 p.m. EST.
The Nets avoided elimination on Friday night after scoring an impressive 97-83 win at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, led by the 23-point performance of All-Star point guard Deron Williams.
Western Conference top seed San Antonio Spurs will also look to avoid an upset when they host the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. The game will start at 3:30 p.m. EST.
Monta Ellis erupted for 29 points in game six, while Dirk Nowitzki posted 22 points and five rebounds, leading the Mavericks to a hard-earned 113-111 victory.
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