Our nightly look ahead to the schedule with a couple of notes and story lines so you can plan out your NBA viewing. All Times Eastern.
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8:00 Chicago Bulls @ Orlando Magic (TNT) 
You feel that warm bubbly feeling in the Magic Kingdom? That is the sigh of relief from Magic fans everywhere happy that Dwight Howard is still on the team… and that the Magic still have a chance to compete for a title.
Orlando completes a pretty difficult stretch of games with tonight’s matchup at home with Chicago on TNT. And no Derrick Rose should make it a little bit easier to defend.
After a loss last night to Miami though, Orlando probably needs to win this one just so the team can raise its hands sheepishly when we ask who the East contenders are.
Couple of notes:
- Dwight Howard is averaging 25.3 points per game and 13.8 rebounds per game in March, vaulting himself back into the MVP race perhaps.
- Derrick Rose will miss his fourth straight game for the Bulls tonight, nursing a strained groin suffered against New York last Monday. The Bulls are 2-1 in his absence so far.
10:30 Dallas Mavericks @ Denver Nuggets (TNT)
Who had the Mavericks and Nuggets battling for the sixth and seventh spot in the West this late in the season? Denver and Dallas were two of the darling teams after the 2011 Playoffs (Dallas for obvious reasons) and big things were expected this year. So far, the two teams have struggled to find level footing.
One thing we all know for sure is that the Mavericks and Nuggets will not be teams you want to face in the Playoffs. All they have to do now is make it in there.
Couple of notes:
- Dallas has not won a regular season game in the Mile High City since 1999, the last lockout-shortened season.
- Danilo Gallinari does not, in fact, have eyes on the back of his head. But everyone is still talking about that crazy assist from the weekend.
Other story lines for tonight:
7:00 Philadelphia-Charlotte: The 76ers all of a sudden find themselves fighting off the Celtics for the division lead and that all-important fourth spot in the East. They hold just a 1.5 game advantage over the Celtics entering tonight.
7:30 Cleveland-New Jersey: Gerald Wallace scored only 11 points on 3-for-9 shooting in his New Jersey debut. He is hoping for something a little better tonight.
7:30 Boston-Atlanta: The Celtics and Hawks meet in a very critical game for seeding at the bottom of the East. Boston has nearly caught Philadelphia and continues to climb.
10:30 Milwaukee Golden State: Chris Mullin is getting his jersey retired at tonight’s game. And Drew Gooden is the Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
