The San Antonio Spurs have recovered after their Game 1 loss and will look to take command of their opening round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio.
When: Sunday April 26, 20:30 (UK time)
Watch live: Click here to watch on BT Sport online!
After their double-digit loss and poor shooting performance in that opening game, the defending champions have come out firing and took Game 2 on the road in an overtime thriller before crushing the Clippers at home earlier in the week.
While it was Tim Duncan who starred in that win at the Staples Center, reigning NBA Finals MVP and current Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard took over last time out with a career playoff-high of 32 points.
San Antonio have improved on both ends of the floor after stepping up their intensity and energy on defense, and so they appear to be locked in and ready to take a commanding lead in this series.
However, it won’t be easy as just as they reacted to their initial loss, the Clippers will be fully aware of how big it would be to claim a road win here and head back to LA tied at 2-2.
Point guard Chris Paul will need to get back to the form he displayed in the opening two games if they have a chance of doing that, although Danny Green’s defense in Game 3 was a real problem for him and they will need to figure out how to work around it.
In contrast, Tony Parker is still not fully healthy as he continues to nurse ankle and Achilles strains, but the Frenchman is expected to play again and coach Gregg Popovich will hope that he can continue to improve and lead the team.
Nevertheless, this is a critical point in the series and it could have a significant impact for both teams. San Antonio will want to continue to gain momentum and end this series in five, and they will take a huge step in doing that with a win on Sunday.
Prediction: Spurs to win.
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