Matchups

The Charlotte Hornets are still trying to push for a better position in the Eastern Conference and will try to take another step forward when they host the Philadelphia 76ers in the back end of a home-and-home set on Friday. Charlotte eased its way to a 100-85 win in Philadelphia on Tuesday and has won four of its last five.

Two teams fighting for position at the bottom of their respective conference’s playoff brackets square off when the Dallas Mavericks visit the Detroit Pistons on Friday. The Pistons are looking more and more like a team that has earned its spot and will go for their seventh win in eight games against the Mavericks.

The New York Knicks have their usual set of issues - both on and off the court - as they commence their final multi-game homestand of the season Friday night against the Brooklyn Nets. In the wake of a perceived tiff between coach Kurt Rambis and guard Arron Afflalo, star rookie Kristaps Porzingis missed Wednesday's loss in Dallas with a strained shoulder and point guard Jose Calderon left the contest with a quad injury.

The Cleveland Cavaliers look to move closer to clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Cleveland is just 6-4 in its last 10 games but Thursday's 107-87 victory over the Brooklyn Nets increased its lead to 2 1/2 games over the second-place Toronto Raptors.

The collective struggles of the four teams behind them in the standings have allowed the Memphis Grizzlies to hang on to the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference despite a four-game slide. The Grizzlies will count the healthy bodies on their roster and try to mix in a win when they host the Toronto Raptors on Friday.

The Milwaukee Bucks have been a major disappointment after making the playoffs in 2014-15, but most of their troubles have occurred on the road. The Bucks, who snapped a five-game losing streak last time out, look to improve on a respectable 22-15 mark at home when they host the suddenly-hot Orlando Magic on Friday in a battle of teams eliminated from the playoff chase.

The Utah Jazz are locked in a three-team battle for the final two Western Conference playoff spots and look to bounce back from a tough loss when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Utah fell in overtime to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday and is battling the Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks for the postseason berths.

The Miami Heat are locked in a four-team battle for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and attempt to bounce back from a demoralizing defeat when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday. Miami suffered a 102-100 overtime loss to the lowly Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in the opener of a three-game road trip that concludes in Portland on Saturday.

The Golden State Warriors are five wins away from the NBA's single-season victory mark and look to capture their 69th win when they host the Boston Celtics on Friday. Golden State, which has won six straight games, needs to go 5-2 over the final seven games to surpass the 72-victory record set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls.

Time is ticking away for the Washington Wizards, who seem to be playing their way out of contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards will try to keep their rapidly diminishing chances alive when they visit the Phoenix Suns in the fourth of a five-game road trip on Friday.