NBA Previews

The Dallas Mavericks hope to keep their slim hopes alive of earning the No. 4 seed for the Western Conference playoffs when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night. With five wins in a row and 12 victories in their past 13 games, the Mavericks (50-30) have moved within one game of the fourth-place Los Angeles Clippers (51-29) with just two contests remaining. Los Angeles will host the Utah Jazz later Friday before wrapping

Even though he’s still trying to get back up to speed following a 29-game absence, Joel Embiid intends to do everything in his power to guarantee the Philadelphia 76ers a spot in the postseason. Currently in seventh in the Eastern Conference and headed for the play-in, Philadelphia can take hold of the No. 6 seed when it faces the visiting Orlando Magic on Friday night. The 76ers (45-35) have been on a tear, using six

The Chicago Bulls essentially have one thing to play for during the remainder of their schedule. They already know they’ll face Atlanta as the Nos. 9 and 10 seeds in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. The only thing that hasn’t been decided is which team will host that game. Chicago has done very little to help its cause in recent weeks. The Bulls, who have three regular season games remaining, have gone 3-7 over their

After the Phoenix Suns’ embarrassing first-half performance in an eventual loss to the visiting Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, Phoenix will not have to wait long for a rematch. And they’ll face an undermanned Clippers team to boot. The Suns scored just 10 first-quarter points and 33 in the first half of a 105-92 defeat. Phoenix looked nothing like a team desperate to gain one of six guaranteed Western Conference playoff spots. The Suns and

San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama might have secured Rookie of the Year status. But Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder, perhaps his top challenger, is preparing for the playoffs. Wembanyama won’t be on the court when the Spurs take on Holmgren’s Thunder on Wednesday in Oklahoma City. Wembanyama, who had 18 points and seven blocks in Tuesday’s 102-87 road win against the Memphis Grizzlies, was ruled out Wednesday afternoon for management of his

The Milwaukee Bucks host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night in their final home game of the regular season. Milwaukee (48-31) ended its four-game losing streak on Tuesday night with a 104-91 victory over the Boston Celtics. Patrick Beverley, who moved into the starting lineup in place of Malik Beasley, led the way for Milwaukee with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Both totals represented his most as a member of the Bucks. Despite the win,

The Brooklyn Nets will put a bow on their home season on Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors. Both teams are already looking ahead to the future. Neither is within reach of the 2024 playoffs as the regular season comes to a close. The Nets (31-48) have won two of three games against with the Raptors (25-54) this season as they prepare for their final meeting of the 2023-24 campaign. Brooklyn defeated Toronto, 115-103, on Nov.

The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat are locks to play past the end of the regular season on Sunday. Dallas (49-30) is in fifth place in the Western Conference. The Mavericks appear likely to avoid the play-in round, which is for teams in spots seven through 10 in the standings. Miami (44-35) is eighth in the Eastern Conference, and it looks like the Heat again are destined to compete in the play-in round. Dallas

After returning from a disappointing five-game Western trip, the Cleveland Cavaliers will look to regroup at home in a matchup against the injury-plagued Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night. Cleveland (46-33) holds the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with three games remaining in the regular season. The Cavaliers will face an undermanned Memphis team that lost 102-87 to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. Cleveland ended a 1-4 trip with a stunning 120-118 loss to