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 Indiana Pacers @ Chicago Bulls 
Someone’s six-game winning streak is about to come to an end. Of course the Pacers have to be sitting there thinking “DAMMIT!! WE JUST WHIPPED OFF A SIX GAME WINNING STREAK AND THE TEAM WE’RE CHASING COULDN’T LOSE EITHER??” Yep. Two teams are on a current NBA six-game streak and they happen to be the division-leading Bulls and 2nd-place Pacers. So tonight we will get to see if the Pacers have what it takes to show the Bulls what they are made of… or if the Bulls will assert their dominance. Either way, America’s heartland will be treated to all sorts of bullfighting puns in tomorrow’s headlines… and we know that is a win for everyone.
Couple of notes:
- Coming off four straight seasons in which they fielded a minimum of 14 different starting lineups, and averaged more than 20, the Pacers have had just two different starting combinations in 2011-12
- The Bulls have strung together win streaks of five or more games a league-high four times
8:00 Dallas Mavericks @ Oklahama City Thunder (NBA TV) 
I know we get caught up in certain matchups being “possible previews”… but this one is legit. There is a very good chance we could see the Mavs and Thunder matched up in a couple of months. The way things are shaping up, they could meet in the second round (or first, if the Mavs don’t get their act together).
Couple of notes:
- Dallas currently holds a record of 22-16. The Mavericks will need to win 19 of their final 28 games to match the 61.0 percent-plus winning percentage they have recorded in each of the past 11 seasons (need 41-or-more wins)
- Oklahoma City’s 12 wins in the month of February was tops in the NBA
Other story lines for tonight
7:00 Orlando-Toronto: Orlando begins a stretch of three road games in four nights.
7:00 Golden State-Washington: Golden State, losers of two straight, may still be without Steph Curry due to ankle issues.
7:00 Utah-Cleveland: The Jazz look to avoid losing seven straight road games.
8:00 Philadelphia-Milwaukee: Philly tries to get a roll going as its Atlantic Division lead shrinks to 2 games
8:00 LA Clippers-Minnesota: Meeting for the third time, Minnesota looks to break the season tie between those teams despite Love and Rubio having tough shooting nights against the Clippers
9:00 Sacramento-Denver: Denver is looking to build on a three-game win streak, while Sacramento is looking to avoid a fourth straight loss.
10:00 New Orleans-Portland: The Blazers have lost three straight, and are below .500 for the first time this season.
John’s Picks: Chicago, OKC, Orlando, Washington, Utah, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Denver, Portland
Last time: 6-5
Season: 75-52
