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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7:00 Miami Heat @ Orlando Magic (NBA TV)
These two teams will play again in six days, but this might be the last time the Heat see Dwight Howard in a Magic uniform. One way or another, that Magic team will be vastly different in a few days.
Meanwhile, Orlando has won four of five games, including a big win over Chicago. A win over the Heat tonight will make getting rid of Dwight that much more difficult. How do you tell your fans that you, the third seed in the East, after wins over the top two seeds, are blowing up the team?
Couple of notes:
- A win tonight would give Miami a 32-9 record, marking their best 41-game start in franchise history.
- The Magic have won nine of the last 11 meetings at home
8:00 LA Lakers @ Memphis Grizzlies
The enigmatic Lakers are looking to build on something, again. It seems like every time come to a point like this this season, something sets them back. This time around, it’s Memphis that can be the catalyst for whatever ills befall the Lakers. Memphis has won six in a row, and is itching to be the reason why the Lakers brass pulls the trigger on a deal that may do more harm to the Lakers than good.
Couple of notes:
- Andrew Bynum is averaging 23.8 points on 68.4 percent shooting in his last four games.
- The Grizzlies have tied the franchise’s best record through the first 40 games of a season… The team also started 24‐16 in 2005‐06
Other storylines for tonight:
7:00 Toronto-Cleveland: The Cavs look to win four in a row for the first time without LeBron as they sit just 1/2 game out of a playoff spot.
7:00 Portland-Indiana: The Pacers look to avoid their second five-game losing streak of the past month.
8:00 Houston-OKC: Houston will be without Kyle Lowry, who is out with a bacterial infection.
8:30 Washington-Dallas: Dallas hopes to get back on track after losing seven of nine games.
9:00 Atlanta-Denver: Josh Smith is averaging 25.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game in March.
10:00 Golden State-Sacramento: Stephen Curry (right ankle sprain, what else?) is a game time decision.
John’s Picks:
Miami, Memphis, Cleveland, Indiana, OKC, Dallas, Atlanta, Sacramento
Last time: 4-6
Season: 93-68