The Oklahoma City Thunder bounced back from a humiliating first game defeat to level the Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers need to restrict Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, as both of them scored heavily in the last game and are capable of guiding their team to a second consecutive victory.
Newly-crowned MVP Durant sparked the Thunder with 32 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists, while Westbrook had 31 points, 10 boards and 10 assists.
Los Angeles would like to grab the momentum back and capitalise on home-court advantage, while, after registering an impressive win in Game 2, Oklahoma City will be hoping to take a lead in the series.
Thunder's coach Scott Brooks was not satisfied with his team's performance after the game and urged his players to keep the intensity going in the next encounter.
"We have to take that and then add to that," Thunder coach Scott Brooks said. "You can't be satisfied. The intensity as the series goes along improves and it becomes greater, and we have to make the next jump."
Los Angeles' coach Doc Rivers said Westbrook is the biggest threat for his team and his players need to restrict him from scoring. "Then he comes up with six of them," Rivers said. "We can box him out. We got to keep him off the glass."
The Thunder played well in defense as well, they didn't allow Jamal Crawford to score freely and the Clippers point guard only managed seven points. Restricting J.J. Redick is also required in the crucial third game, as he finished with 18 points in the last encounter.
"You're talking about two of the quickest triggers in basketball in Redick and Crawford," Brooks said. "I thought our guys did a good job of closing that gap."
The Clippers are again in the headlines as the wife of Donald Sterling, Shelly, is due to attend the third game while looking to retain her 50 percent stake in the franchise with the NBA looking to force new ownership.
Coach Rivers said his team is more focused on handling Westbrook and Durant than these off-court issues. "We need to be uneasy about Westbrook and Durant," he said. "That's who we need to be really uneasy about because they're putting more pressure on us right now."
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for a 10:30 pm ET (8:00 am IST, 2:00 pm GMT) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Six HD in India. The game can be watched via live streaming online in the US HERE. The game can be live streamed by international viewers, including India, HERE.
