NBA TV schedule in India: Dec 11-20

Here’s the schedule of NBA games on TV in India. A couple of matches are shown online on NBA.com/India. The rest are on Sony SIX. Following are the matches being played:

11 Dec- Raptors vs Blazers
14 Dec- Lakers vs Knicks
15 Dec- Grizzlies vs Nuggets
17 Dec- Lakers vs Sixers
18 Dec- Kings vs Suns
Here are the timings and channels accompanied by a preview:

Toronto @ Portland

NBA.com/India
Tue, 12/11/2012
8:30 AM

The Blazers are facing injuries to Nicholas Batum and Wesley Matthews, but they have won eight straight versus the Raptors already. And the Raptors have lost 13 road games this season, highest in the league. Portland are 8-12 and the Raptors are 4-17. The Trailblazers should take this one easy behind rookie Damien Lilliard and LaMarcus Aldridge.

L.A. Lakers @ New York

SIX
Fri, 12/14/2012
6:30 AM

Really hope that Steve Nash comes back in time for this one. The Lakers have been floundering without him, they are 9-12 right now and trade talks for Pau Gasol are looming large. On the other coast, the New York Knicks are coasting and are the only team in the NBA who are undefeated at home, after they ended the Heat’s perfect home record without Carmelo Anthony. Kobe Bryant is making his bid for NBA leading scorer for this year but his team isn’t winning much yet. Expect the Knicks to take this one.

Memphis @ Denver

SIX
Sat, 12/15/2012
9:00 AM

Battle of two scrappy teams. The Nuggets and Grizzlies are both teams which don’t rely on a superstar and have established an identity for playing hard nosed defense and running teams out of the gym with their offense. The best player on both teams is an athletic wing, Igoudala for the Nuggets and Rudy Gay for the Grizzlies. Iggy is more of a stopper so he should neutralize Rudy at the perimeter, but the Grizzlies have a very versatile frontcourt with Gasol and Randolph, and McGee isn’t up for containing them. Expect a close and fast paced battle.

L.A. Lakers @ Philadelphia

SIX
Mon, 12/17/2012
4:30 AM

Andrew Bynum and his bowling-addled knee will be on the sidelines as his teammates face his former team. Kobe and Shaq gave each other the cold shoulder. Wonder how these two will greet each other. Expect Kobe to mime throwing a bowling ball as a way of greeting Bynum. The 76ers do have a shot at beating the dysfunctional Lakers who are a pitiful 9-12. Pitiful by the standards you would expect from such a star studded squad. The weakest link of this Lakers squad is the point guard spot. And the Sixers point guard, Jrue Holiday has been playing like an all star. Expect the Sixers to take this one.

Sacramento @ Phoenix

NBA.com/India
Tue, 12/18/2012
7:30 AM

Neither of these two teams are going to make it to the playoffs. That doesn’t mean this won’t be an entertaining bout. The Suns are among the top half in the league in scoring and the Kings are brash and young and standing at 7-12. Only two games behind the Lakers. The Suns are 7-15 today. Expect the Kings to take this one. Salmons, Cousins and Thompson are just too good for the Suns to keep out of the paint and Aaron Brooks is more than a match for Goran Dragic.