BOS @ IND: Pulling away in the Central and second overall in the East, these Pacers are playing tremendous D and scoring enough to win seven of their last eight. David West matches up very well against any Boston PF, and Roy Hibbert seems to be improving. The guy who seems to get no credit is George Hill, who isn’t the best PG in the league but is having a career year in minutes, points, assists, rebounds, threes and steals while slowing down most opponents.
ORL @ MIA: The Heat’s franchise-record 15-game winning streak should continue, but getting LeBron James some rest is another priority, so I expect Dwyane Wade to have another big game. The Magic don’t have much to play for, and are wisely developing the kiddie corps. 19-year-old Maurice Harkless is the SF, 22-year-old Nikola Vucevic is having a breakout year at C, and rookie Andrew Nicholson starts at PF, with 21-year-old sophomore Tobias Harris backing up both forward spots since his arrival. Jameer Nelson and Arron Afflalo are the only veterans who see much time on the floor.
PHI @ ATL: It’s not easy to be part of a team going nowhere this fast. Coach Doug Collins has been whining in public, Andrew Bynum spends more time in hair salons than on the court and Jrue Holiday is wearing down after a fabulous individual season. The Sixers got “up” for last night’s home game but a repeat of that effort seems unlikely. Load up on Hawks, who were already relying on Al Horford, Josh Smith and the improving Jeff Teague before injuries to their role players made that trio more important than ever.
NYK @ DET: We had no idea Carmelo Anthony was already dealing with a sore knee when he twisted it on Monday and left the game. If Melo sits this one out, look for Amare Stoudemire to become more prominent and it could be a close game, with the battle up front between Tyson Chandler and Greg Monroe potentially deciding the outcome. The Pistons will be glad to be back home after a shellacking in San Antonio and Brandon Knight had been hot prior to that team-wide stinker.
LAL @ NOH: There’s no way of knowing how Kobe’s elbow will feel tonight, or if Dwight will be able to fit the ball into the basket. The Lakers are old, will be tired from losing a tough game last night and will need to dig deep into emotional and physical reserves to avoid an ambush. The Hornets blew a huge second-half lead on Monday to lose despite good games from Anthony Davis and Greivis Vasquez. They will be more responsible on defense tonight and could surprise.
WAS @ MIN: The game means nothing, but the PG matchup is a good one. Ricky Rubio is better defensively than John Wall, and has been rewarding his patient fantasy owners for the last month, but the Timberwolves are seriously wounded in the frontcourt. Derrick Williams has become a go-to scorer by default, as both Andrei Kirilenko (calf) and Nikola Pekovic (abdomen) are out for the week, if not longer. For the Wizards, Bradley Beal (ankle) is doubtful, so Martell Webster will be asked to score. Both Nene and Emeka Okafor are capable of big numbers against this weak opposition.
POR @ MEM: Key to this game is the ankle of Zach Randolph. If he plays, even at less than 100%, Memphis looks good to win its tenth game in its last eleven. If Z-Bo sits out, Ed Davis will get the tough assignment against LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers are technically alive in the West playoff race, 3.5 games back of eighth-place Utah, which makes them a desperate team, but the Grizzlies are trying to hang on to fourth seed in the West and they rarely play a bad game.
HOU @ DAL: This is a rematch after the Rockets completely destroyed the Mavericks in Houston, winning by 33 and scoring 136 points in regulation. Dallas will be better at home tonight — they can’t be worse — and Dirk Nowitzki will be thirsty for revenge after getting destroyed by Chandler Parsons on Sunday. It should be high-scoring again, but closer. Another loss would be the end for the Mavs’ very slim postseason hopes.
TOR @ PHO: Who knows which of these teams will want it more? Toronto was briefly in the playoff picture before losing their last five, and Phoenix is on a completely unexpected 3-game win streak. Marcin Gortat will need to play well, for big minutes, as Jermaine O’Neal is out for at least three games due to a family matter. Goran Dragic is the Suns’ leader and a must-start. For the Raptors, this road trip has helped Andrea Bargnani regain some lost confidence, and Rudy Gay missed only one game with back spasms. Amir Johnson has been excellent off the bench, as rookie Jonas Valanciunas is getting squeezed for minutes.
CHI @ SAS: If any team can survive the loss of Tony Parker (ankle) for a month, it’s the Spurs. The PG minutes will be divided among Cory Joseph, Patrick Mills and Nando De Colo, none of whom is a great pickup in most leagues. Manu Ginobili will take on a larger role and Tim Duncan has a way of rising to challenges. The Bulls are hurting too; Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli may again be the starting backcourt. It will be hard for them to score enough to win.
SAC @ GSW: This one should fill the box score with fantasy goodies. The Warriors figure to win fairly easily, with Stephen Curry routinely shredding much better defenses than Sacramento’s and David Lee coming off his best game in weeks. Andrew Bogut is back in the middle, apparently healthy, and Klay Thompson is averaging 22 per game so far in March. The Kings are always a wild card.
MIL @ LAC: Losing to the Thunder on Sunday was a wakeup call for the Clippers, who had won eight of their previous nine. They should get back on track tonight, though Milwaukee has been playing very well lately. Monta Ellis will stay in attack mode, and J.J. Redick has been sharp off the bench, but Brandon Jennings will need his very best against Chris Paul. As always, the deep, talented, experienced L.A. second unit gives them an advantage.