Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers slated for NBA’s MLK Day Finale

For basketball junkies, Martin Luther King Jr. Day follows only Christmas when it comes to satisfying that insatiable NBA itch. This year, the fun starts at Noon Eastern Time Monday on NBATV when the fire-sale Atlanta Hawks travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the rebuilding Knicks. Next up, the floundering Pelicans face the streaking Pacers to round out the early line before the action switches to TNT.

Obviously the premier game of the day will be the much anticipated re-match between the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7pm:

In the 9:30 pm finale, fans will be treated to the final regular-season meeting between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder currently hold a 2-1 lead in the season series —as well as a 26-point cushion in the all important points-for-and-against tie breaker.

For the Thunder, the game will be the second of a back-to-back, and their third-straight road game of a six-game stretch away from Chesapeake Energy Arena. If teams do in fact bond best while on the road, the Thunder should return to OKC glued together at their collective hips following the longest and most grueling road stint of their season.

The NBA and TNT anticipate that the highlight of the day’s events will be the announcement of the cable network’s newly unveiled series of Monday night double-headers, beginning with the MLK games.