Sunday Night NBAction open thread

The Clippers have already logged their win over the Knicks, not to mention Miami's 22nd win in a row and Milwaukee's victory over Orlando, but there are still five games yet to be played in the NBA tonight, including a couple of key Western Conference games.

The big one is Golden State visiting Houston to face the Rockets. The Warriors are 0-3 against the Rockets this season, and their lead over Houston for sixth place in the Western Conference is down to a half game. In other words, the Warriors, who were threatening for fourth in the West not too long ago, could be down to seventh by the end of the evening.

And if they drop to seventh, is eighth that far behind? The Lakers, who face the Kings beginning at 6:30, are just two games back of the Warriors at present -- and Golden State is the one team in the mix at the bottom of the conference over whom the Lakers hold the tie-breaker. Right now it would be tough to bet on Golden State finishing above eighth in the conference, and it wouldn't shock me if they miss the post-season altogether.

In another Western Conference game, the Mavericks are hosting the Thunder. Dallas still has somewhat faint playoff hopes, and a win today is crucial. Unfortunately, the Thunder almost never lose to sub-.500 teams, so it's not going to be easy.