2014 NBA Playoffs: Clippers and Wizards Look to Avoid 3-1 Holes

The Brooklyn Nets finally decided to make it a series when they stole game three at home against the Miami Heat on Saturday night. The Portland Trail Blazers couldn’t do the same at home against the San Antonio Spurs. Instead, the Nets have a shot at evening things up in game four, while the Spurs will bring the broom out as they aim to sweep Portland on Monday.

There are still some games to play before then, though, as the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers both hope to avoid 3-1 holes on Sunday. The Wizards host the East’s top-seeded Indiana Pacers in game four on Sunday afternoon, while the Clippers welcome the Thunder back to L.A. after a tough game three loss on their home court just two days ago.

Let’s break both games down to see if the Wizards and Clippers can spice up these series by bringing them to 2-2 ties, or if they’ll fall into 3-1 holes:

Indiana Pacers (1) @ Washington Wizards (5) – 3:30 PM ET

Indiana has won the past two games thanks to a complete revival of center Roy Hibbert, who has come alive on offense. Hibbert’s amazing spark on the offensive end has led to the Pacers playing even harder on defense, which led to a franchise record low in points for the Wizards in game three.

Indiana looks to be on a mission right now, and it will probably take an insane shooting night for the Wiz to fend off a 3-1 hole.

Pick: Pacers 97, Wizards 88

Oklahoma City Thunder (2) @ Los Angeles Clippers (3) – 8:00 PM ET

OKC and L.A. have battled through a couple of intense matchups, their game three contest probably taking the cake so far in this series. With that said, these teams are pretty evenly matched and this series is still slated to be a toss up. Considering OKC has won two straight and the Clippers have their backs against the wall on their own court, now seems like a good time for Chris Paul to go off. Look for L.A. to even this one back up at two games apiece.

Pick: Clippers 107, Thunder 102