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There are 10 games in the NBA tonight, with a pretty nice double feature on ESPN. Seven of the top eight Western Conference teams are in action, everyone but the Clippers, so there are plenty of implications for the Citizens of Clips Nation, even if your favorite team isn't playing.
Sacramento at Orlando, 4:00 PM
Toronto at Cleveland, 4:00 PM
Detroit at Washington, 4:00 PM
Golden State at New York, 5:00 PM, ESPN
Dallas at Memphis, 5:00 PM
Milwaukee at Houston, 5:00 PM
New Orleans at Oklahoma City, 5:00 PM
Phoenix at San Antonio, 5:30 PM
Atlanta at Utah, 6:00 PM
Denver at Portland, 7:30 PM, ESPN
Unfortunately for the Clippers, neither of the teams they're chasing would appear to be in much jeopardy tonight, both playing at home against two of the three worst teams in the conference. As if that weren't enough, the Spurs will be facing a Hornets team playing without Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis. (Of course the Clippers managed to lose at home to that same shorthanded Hornets team, but somehow I don't think that will happen with the Spurs.) Oklahoma City is equally unlikely to stumble at home against the Suns.
The Grizzlies, two games back of the Clippers and tied in the loss column, host the Mavericks. Dallas' season is getting away from them at this point, still six games below .500. According to John Hollinger's playoff odds calculator, the Mavs are down to a 6% chance of making the playoffs. Given the situation, it's only a matter of time before the Mavs start mailing games in. It doesn't help their situation tonight that they're playing the second game of a road back to back, so Memphis is highly likely to get their eighth straight win.
The ESPN games on the other hand are more likely to turn out the way we'd like. Golden State is in New York to face the Knicks, and the Warriors will be playing without the suspended David Lee. Neither the Knicks nor the Warriors have been playing particularly well lately, but the Warriors are not super deep, particularly in the front court with Andrew Bogut back out of action, so they may be in trouble in this one. One thing's for certain -- there will be plenty of three pointers attempted in a game between these two teams.
The night cap has the Nuggets visiting the Blazers in Portland. The Nuggets have been on a roll lately, but most of the wins came in Denver and it's a totally different story for them on the road.