BASKETBALL NBA ARTICLES

The Spurs are locked in to the No. 2 seed in the West no matter what happens the rest of the way, which could lead coach Gregg Popovich to resting some of his important players in this game and others down the stretch.San Antonio would normally be a sizable favorite at home in this matchup against the Clippers, but personnel changes could sway the spread greatly, so keep a close eye on which players are available.... 

The Cavs control their own destiny but have some tough games remaining, including a road contest against the Atlanta Hawks this week. Atlanta has struggled of late but hopes to pick up a win that would help their playoff positioning and also send a blow to Cleveland.Don't miss the hardwood action from the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 9, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on NBA TV.... 

Chicago has to play this game on the road and is under .500 on the season, but should still be considered the favorite as it is playing a team which has struggled all year. The Nets are in the midst of a serious rebuild and currently have the worst record in the NBA.The Bulls need this win badly and should be able to get it as long as they play to their capability.... 

The Phoenix Suns don’t mind losing as they hope to get a good chance at the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and that’s something they have done with regularity of late. Phoenix has dropped 12 straight games and may not be able to turn that around this week when they face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are tied atop the Eastern Conference as the regular season comes down to the wire. They can’t afford any slip-ups, which includes taking care of business against the Atlanta Hawks this week.... 

Portland gets this rematch at home, which will make it the favorite to come away victorious. The Blazers sit 1.5 games ahead of Denver for the last playoff spot and a strong finish will clinch it for them. However, Minnesota helped put a dent in that lead recently and would love to play spoiler again in this one.This war on the floor will go down Thursday, April 6, 2017, at 10:30 p.m. ET at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. The game will be televised live on TNT.... 

Even though Atlanta has the inferior record, it is getting this one at home and is talented enough to push the Celtics. The Hawks are battling for playoff positioning themselves and would love to pick up this home win to improve their spot. The goal is to avoid the Cavs in the early rounds but it’s tough to know exactly where they will end up.Don't miss the hardwood action from Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 6, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on TNT.... 

The Utah Jazz’s playoff positioning is more or less determined. They’ll be locking horns with the Clippers. All that remains to be decided is which team will hold home court advantage. The Portland Trail Blazers currently hold a two-game lead over the Denver Nuggets for the eighth and final seed in the West. Should they qualify, they’ll get the Dubs. This Tuesday night tilt is incredibly important for both squads.... 

The Dallas Mavericks no longer have a shot at qualifying for the playoffs. That however won’t prevent them from looking to play the role of spoiler against a Los Angeles Clippers squad fighting for home court advantage for its first round matchup with the Utah Jazz. LA does however get to play this one the more rested of the two teams, and will take to their home hardwood playing some of their best ball of the season.... 

So the New York Knicks brought in both former Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah this past offseason in hopes of the duo helping to lead the franchise back to the playoffs. Each is injured and out for the remainder of the season. The Knicks will miss the playoffs once again. The Bulls currently hold the No. 7 slot a game ahead of Miami. Isn’t it ironic… don’t ya think?... 

Schedule makers simply just look like geniuses sometimes. The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers have been the two best teams in the Eastern Conference all season long. Boston holds a half-game lead over the Cavs for the top seed in the conference, but that could all but be erased if Cleveland wins at home versus Orlando before jumping on a plane for Beantown. This game is essentially for the East’s No. 1 seed!... 

Even though the Suns play this game at home, they are among the worst teams in the NBA and will be the underdogs. Phoenix has some bright spots offensively and the future could be bright, but the defense is porous and the Rockets will be licking their chops in this one.Prepare for an entertaining back-and-forth game, but one the Suns will have a tough time winning because of their lack of defense.... 

Miami is the home team and has a slightly better record so it will be the favorite in this showdown. The Nuggets have to play well down the stretch to catch the Portland Trail Blazers for the No. 8 seed in the West.This game is essential for both sides but only one team can emerge victorious. The intensity should be high with so much on the line.... 

New York gets to play this game at home, but the Celtics are clearly the superior team and should be the favorites. The Knicks would love nothing more than to be spoilers since they aren’t making the playoffs, but it will be hard to do.Boston wants to finish strong and should be able to pick up this victory to keep the pressure on Cleveland in the race for the top seed.... 

The Hawks have the better record but Chicago has the home court advantage, so this figures to be a competitive matchup. The Bulls must have really keen focus because it is imperative for them to come away with their victory in order to have a shot at catching the Indiana Pacers for the final berth in the Eastern Conference playoffs.This war on the floor will go down Saturday, April 1, 2017, at 5 p.m. ET at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The game will be televised live on NBA TV.... 

San Antonio lost to the Warriors earlier this week and is pretty much wrapped into the No. 2 seed, so it’s not out of the question it rests some starters in this one. Keep a close eye on the Spurs’ lineup. If they are at full strength they should be favored but that might not be the case with the postseason right around the corner.Don't miss the hardwood action from AT&T in San Antonio, Texas at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 2, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ABC.... 

The San Antonio Spurs seem pretty well locked in to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but their foe this week, the Oklahoma City Thunder, still has a ton to play for down the stretch. Oklahoma City is currently the No. 6 seed in the West but could get as high as No. 4 with a strong finish.... 

The Golden State Warriors hit a bump in the road earlier this season when star forward Kevin Durant went down, but now they are back where so many thought they would end up -- closing in on top seed in the Western Conference. They will take a big step toward clinching it if they can knock off the Houston Rockets this week.... 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen out of first place in the Eastern Conference with only a handful of games remaining on the schedule. They would very much like to re-capture the spot ahead of the Boston Celtics but must play much better down the stretch. That includes a game this week against the Chicago Bulls.... 

The Portland Trail Blazers have hit a groove of late, picking up steam as they push for the postseason. There is little room for error down the stretch and they have a huge game coming up this week against the Houston Rockets.... 

Washington has to hit the road in this one but Los Angeles is among the worst teams in the NBA, so the Wizards should be the favorite. The Lakers have gone to a youth movement down the stretch and they have really struggled.This will be a tough one for them against one of the best teams in the East.... 

If both sides are full strength, this will be one of the most intriguing matchups of the season. The Warriors are the NBA title favorites and the Spurs are their top contender.Since this game is at San Antonio, the spread should be close and could favor the Spurs. The only time this season the Warriors have been underdogs was the first game here when they rested all of their stars, so this could be a rare occurrence.... 

Houston is in third place in the West behind a fantastic season from star James Harden. The Rockets get this game at home so they should have a shot at winning this game. The spread should be close but it could go to either side depending on the oddsmakers’ feelings.Golden State is aiming to wrap up the top seed in the Western Conference and a win here would be huge, but Houston has other ideas. This will be one of the premier matchups of the week.... 

The Thunder will have the best player in the court in Russell Westbrook, but he will need to get enough help to pull out the win. While the Magic are among the league’s worst teams, a home game against a beatable opponent leaves some intrigue in this one.Orlando would be better-served to lose when it comes to the draft lottery but the players won’t be thinking that. This could actually be a pretty competitive showdown.... 

The MVP race is too close to call coming down to the wire. Perhaps one candidate can grab the definitive lead in a head-to-head matchup with the other. Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder will travel to face James Harden and the Houston Rockets in a game that highlights two of the NBA’s superstars....