:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/8054953/20130205_jla_at5_696.0.jpg)
It's an unusual night in the NBA in that every one of the six games involves a team from the Western Conference, with a total of ten West teams in action. The Clippers find themselves three games ahead of the Nuggets and Grizzlies in the Conference, 3.5 games back of the Thunder and 5.5 games up on the Warriors in the Pacific Division. With all four of those teams in action, not to mention the Lakers hosting the Suns, almost no matter where you look tonight there's a game with implications for the Clippers.
Denver at Toronto, 4:00 PM
Portland at Miami, 4:30 PM, NBA-TV
Sacramento at Memphis, 5:00 PM
Oklahoma City at Utah, 6:00 PM
Phoenix at LA Lakers, 7:30 PM, Time Warner Cable
Houston at Golden State, 7:30 PM, NBA-TV
Oklahoma City at Utah could be very interesting. The Jazz have a terrific home record and could do the Clippers a big favor by handing OKC a loss. But the must-see game of the night is definitely Houston in Oakland against the Warriors. When these teams met last week in Houston, the Rockets hung 140 on the Dubs and tied an NBA record making 23 three pointers. In the final minute, Mark Jackson's team committed one flagrant foul and two intentional fouls to remove any possibility have having a record breaking 24th three. It seems to me that maybe they should have thought about that before allowing the first 23, but you know Jackson and his "heavy weight stare down" nonsense. As was the case with the Clippers-Warriors grudge matches last month, the Warriors will be pumped up out of their skulls for this, and they desperately need a win. There could be some real fireworks in this one.