Two of the best players in the NBA go toe to toe on Wednesday when LeBron James and the Miami Heat host Kevin Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 7 pm ET (5.30 am IST) start with live coverage on ESPN in the US and Sony Six in India. The game can be live streamed online in the US HERE. International viewers, including India, can catch the action via live streaming online HERE.
Durant has been in ridiculous form of late, and pulled off a game-winning shot against the Atlanta Hawks in the last game, with the forward averaging a remarkable 38.5 points in his previous 11 games.
"I'm just trying to inspire the team by my play," said Durant, who has excelled, taking on the bulk of the load, in the absence of Russell Westbrook. "Just playing hard, being emotional. Hopefully it helps.
"Sometimes it may not, but I've got to take that risk, take that chance. Because that's how I am on the court, I'm an emotional player. I know we play a lot of games and a lot of people say January don't mean anything, but when you're playing this game with your heart and passion like we do, you've just got to enjoy it.
"I'm just trying to play. I'm not coming in saying 'I got to do this or I have to do this.' I'm not one of those guys that predetermines anything, I just go off how the game is played and the different schemes teams are throwing at me and be aggressive that way. I'm just enjoying it, just having fun with it and taking it a day at a time."
James and the Heat, 32-12, hold a 13-3 record against Durant and OKC, 36-10, in 16 meetings, but Durant has outscored the Miami superstar in nine of those occasions. LeBron has no doubts about the greatness and scoring ability of Durant.
"Individually, he can't be stopped by any 1-on-1 player," James said. "There's nobody that can guard him 1-on-1.
"I like going against the best," James said. "And he's definitely right up there. ... He's a great guy to compete against, man. I wish I could play against him every night because he brings that competitive nature out of you."
It will be a battle of two teams, but also one between two of the best players in the league, and the man that comes out on top, might well leave the game with the bigger smile on his face.
