A significant measure of how the regular season is unfolding for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they can talk about pursuing other trophies after Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley teamed up to win the All-Star skills competition. After a season-opening 15-game winning streak and another 12-game run, the Cavaliers are rolling again with four straight wins heading into Thursday’s game against the host Brooklyn Nets. At 44-10, the Cavs are four wins away from last year’s total when they finished 48-34 after winning 51 the previous season. In both campaigns, Cleveland’s season ended before getting to the conference finals, but this team has a good chance of winning at least 60 games for the third time in team history. Cleveland’s

Looking ahead. That’s all Ohio State can do as the Buckeyes seek to rebound from a loss to rival Michigan when they host Northwestern on Thursday. The Ohio State Buckeyes (15-11, 7-8 Big Ten) hoped a victory over then-No. 20 Michigan on Sunday would fortify their bid to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three seasons. However, the 86-83 setback puts the Buckeyes in a vulnerable position, making the upcoming matchup against the struggling and injury-plagued Northwestern Wildcats (13-13, 4-11) even more critical. Northwestern, playing without starting guards Brooks Barnhizer and Jalen Leach due to season-ending injuries, has lost three straight games. The most recent loss was particularly painful, as the Wildcats blew a 20-point lead with

With just eight weeks left in the regular season, every game counts for the Orlando Magic (27-29) and Atlanta Hawks (26-29) as they chase a top-six seed in the Eastern Conference to avoid the play-in tournament. The intensity is expected to be high when the teams square off Thursday night in Atlanta. The All-Star break came at the right time for the Magic, who were struggling with injuries and inconsistency before the pause. What to Watch for: Banchero and Wagner have been dominant, with both putting up 30+ points in the last meeting against Atlanta. “Guys were moving around, loud talking. It was good energy,” Banchero said after Monday’s practice. The Magic will also monitor the status of key reserves:

The Indiana Pacers (31-25) will have no time to ease back into action after the NBA All-Star break, as they face a tough challenge against the Memphis Grizzlies (26-28) on Thursday night in Indianapolis. With both teams battling for playoff positioning, this game carries extra weight. Indiana needed the All-Star break after an up-and-down stretch that saw them go 2-3 over their past five games. What to Watch for: Haliburton acknowledged that the team was tired heading into the break, and the time off has hopefully refreshed the Pacers for the final 29 games of the season. “Every first practice after All-Star break is typically just a lot of running,” Haliburton said. “Hopefully, the break was refreshing for everybody.” Turner,