Matchups

The Atlanta Hawks are trying to separate themselves from the pack in the race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference and have done their best with wins in four straight games. The Hawks will try to make it five in a row when they visit the team directly in front of them in the standings, the Toronto Raptors, on Wednesday.

The Memphis Grizzlies’ collective inability to stay on the court is making the race for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference much more interesting than it looked a week ago. The Grizzlies will try to keep some space between themselves and the Portland Trail Blazers and snap a three-game slide when they host the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

The Milwaukee Bucks were building some positive momentum for the future earlier in the month but have fallen off of late with losses in five straight games. The Bucks will try to snap the slide when they host another team playing out the string in the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Clippers have dominated Minnesota in recent seasons and look to defeat the Timberwolves for the 15th time in 16 games when they square off on Wednesday. The Clippers have posted seven straight wins in Minnesota, including a 110-106 victory on Dec. 7.

The Dallas Mavericks have been afforded very few home games down the stretch, which makes Wednesday's contest against the visiting New York Knicks a virtual must-win. The Mavericks completed a 1-3 road trip with a 97-88 victory over Denver on Monday and entered Tuesday tied with Houston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The San Antonio Spurs attempt to keep their home unbeaten streak intact when the New Orleans Pelicans come to town on Tuesday. San Antonio is 37-0 at home this season and has won 46 straight regular-season games dating back to last season, the second-longest streak in NBA history.

The Golden State Warriors have tied the franchise record of 67 victories set last season and look to move closer to the NBA mark of 73 wins when they visit the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. The Warriors defeated the Washington Wizards on Tuesday and need to go 6-2 over the final eight regular-season contests to surpass the 72-win record set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

The Washington Wizards have a lot of ground to make up in the playoff race and not much time left to chase down the eighth-place Indiana Pacers. Washington lost to the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday to fall into 10th place in the Eastern Conference and stands three games behind the Pacers with just eight games remaining.

The Miami Heat figure to have an easy time keeping pace in the race for the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. The Lakers are coming off the largest loss of Kobe Bryant’s career in a game that he played, 123-75 at Utah on Monday, and have dropped four straight by double figures.