DURANT RETURNS - NBA ON ESPN

It's been nearly four months since the nets have gone swish on the NBA hardwood but that's all over now. The NBA returned last night with several match-ups and the well-renowned NBA on TNT. Last season NBA MVP Stephen Curry and his Golden State Warriors walked away with NBA Finals honors. They picked up right where they left off by defeating the New Orleans Pelicans 111 - 95 last night. PG Curry gave NBA fans and Oracle Arena a incredible showing.  Curry had 40 points and 7 assists and sat nearly the entire fourth quarter as the Warriors seemed to outmatch New Orleans just as they did in the first round of last years post-season. The Warriors NBA Finals (2014) opponent; Lebron James and the Cavaliers visited the United Center last night without Kyrie Irving. The Cavs suffered a 95-97 lost  against the Bulls to start their season. Cleveland will be looking to return to the success they had been last year and are glad to have forward Kevin Love back in the lineup.

San Antonio Spurs @ Oklahoma City Thunder 8:00 p.m. E.T

(Oct. 6, 2015 - Source: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images North America)

Enough about last night. Tonight the Thunder and Spurs will take it to the hardwood on ESPN at 8:00 p.m E.T. The long anticipated return of Oklahoma forward Kevin Durant has finally arrived. Durant's lingering foot injury had him sidelined for nearly three fourths of last season. In his absence, Thunder Guard Russell Westbrook did everything he could to keep the Thunder a contender in the Western Conference. Though OKC was unable to reach the playoff's, Westbrook's MVP like performance last season definitely has me predicting a Western Conference Finals berth of OKC in 2015. With role players like Kanter, Ibaka, Singler and Morrow, stopping the Thunder offense might be the slightest of task for the upcoming season. At the Chesapeake Arena where the fans will be livid, expect a incredible showing from the Thunder.

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Oklahoma City's opponent tonight, the San Antonio Spurs, lost to the Clippers in a first round match-up of last years playoffs. In the off-season, the Spurs acquired superstar forward LaMarcus Aldridge from the Portland Trail Blazers. In mastermind Head Coach Greg Popovich traditional offense, it'll be interesting to see how quickly LaMarcus can integrate into such a efficient scoring scheme. Averaging nearly 25 points per game last season, Aldridge will enjoy being accompanied by a plethora of veterans like Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili that will help sharpen his offensive and defensive skills. Aldrigde wants to win and his decision to join one of the NBA's most winning franchises is a clear reflection of this desire. Tune in tonight to see how he fairs in the first game of the season.