Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid enter Tuesday’s Sixers-Bucks matchup with their teams tied in the standings.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Boston at Toronto, 7:30 p.m. ET
This is a matchup of two teams peaking at the right time. The Celtics just took over first place in the Eastern Conference and are in the middle of a crazy four-team race all separated by just a half-game with two weeks left in the regular season. Boston did get the news on Monday that Robert Williams III is out indefinitely with a meniscus tear in his knee. Meanwhile, the Raptors have won eight of their last 10 games to climb past the Cavs for the No. 6 seed in the East, which would guarantee a playoff spot.
Tuesday, March 29, 2022
Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 7:00 p.m. ET
There are two races to watch in this matchup. First, the Bucks and Sixers enter Week 24 tied in the standings at 46-28 and tied in their season series 1-1, so the winner of this game will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker should it be needed at season’s end. Also, Joel Embiid (29.90 ppg) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (29.72 ppg) are both involved in one of the tightest scoring title races ever as they both trail LeBron James (30.13 ppg). A big game here could be important for both team success and individual achievements.
Detroit at Brooklyn, 7:30 p.m. ET
Kyrie Irving made his Brooklyn season debut on Sunday as the Nets lost to the Hornets. He gets another shot at his first win in Brooklyn since Game 2 of Brooklyn’s conference semifinal series against Milwaukee on June 7, when the Nets host the Pistons on Tuesday night. Brooklyn closes the season with five of its final seven games at home. For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham continues to make his case for Rookie of the Year and midseason acquisition Marvin Bagley III has played well since arriving in Detroit.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Dallas at Cleveland, 7:00 p.m. ET
The Cavs enter Week 24 on a three-game losing streak and just entered the Play-In field as the No. 7 team in the East. They look to get back on track this week as they host the Magic on Monday and Dallas on Wednesday before hitting the road again. Cleveland won the first meeting of the season with Dallas back in November despite a triple-double from Luka Doncic. Jarrett Allen (28 points, 14 rebounds) was key to that win for Cleveland and he will miss this matchup as he continues to recover from a broken finger.
Memphis at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m. ET
The Grizzlies enter Week 24 on a four-game win streak – all of which have come without All-Star guard Ja Morant, who is nursing a sore right knee. The Grizzlies are 17-2 without Morant so far this season and will look to keep the winning going this week as they host Golden State on Monday before traveling to San Antonio for this matchup. While the Grizzlies are comfortably in the No. 2 spot in the West (four games up on No. 3 Golden State, nine back of No. 1 Phoenix), the Spurs are trying to claw their way into the West Play-In Tournament. San Antonio enters Week 24 having won three straight games and sits just one game back of the Lakers for the No. 10 spot.
Thursday, March 31, 2022
Cleveland at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m. ET
The Hawks enter Week 24 as the No. 10 seed in the East, which means they would need to win two single-elimination Play-In games just to secure a playoff berth. However, if they can move up to No. 8 – they are currently 1.5 games back of both No. 8 Charlotte and No. 9 Brooklyn – they would have two games to get one win in order to advance to the postseason. As discussed earlier, the Cavs currently lead the Play-In group as the No. 7 seed, but are trying to catch Toronto in order to land a guaranteed spot and avoid the Play-In altogether.
Friday, April 1, 2022
Minnesota at Denver, 9:00 p.m. ET
This matchup between the current No. 7 team in the West (Minnesota) and the No. 6 seed in the West (Denver) is a battle between Play-In and Playoffs. The Wolves open the week 1.5 games back of the Nuggets for the No. 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth. Minnesota leads the season series 2-1, so a win here would clinch the head-to-head tiebreaker should that be needed to decide the fate at these teams at end of the season. Nikola Jokic is also involved in a tightly-contested MVP race and staying out of the Play-In is not only best for the team, but also for his case to repeat at MVP.
Saturday, April 2, 2022
Charlotte at Philadelphia, 12:30 p.m. ET
We open the weekend with a matinee in Philadelphia as the Sixers host the Hornets. This will be the fourth and final meeting of the regular season between these teams; the Sixers lead 2-1, but their two wins have come by a combined seven points. Both teams are in separate battles for postseason positions. The Sixers are part of that four-team race for the top seed in the East, while the Hornets are locked up with Brooklyn to determine the eight and nine spots in the Play-In Tournament. The No. 8 seed has a clear advantage as they need to win just one game to secure a playoff berth.
Utah at Golden State, 8:30 p.m. ET
This a potential first round playoff matchup in the West as the Warriors are currently No. 3 and the Jazz are currently No. 5, but just one game up of No. 6 and enter Week 24 on a four-game losing streak. The Jazz open the week against both Los Angeles teams before visiting the Warriors on Saturday as they look to snap this streak and avoid falling any further down the standings.
Sunday, April 3, 2022
Philadelphia at Cleveland, 6:00 p.m. ET
Start a full day of hoops action with the ABC doubleheader – Mavs at Bucks at 1 ET, Nugget at Lakers at 3:30 ET – then head to League Pass to keep the action going with the Sixers visiting the Cavs. This is the penultimate Sunday of the regular season – just one week removed from all 30 teams in action in the regular-season finale on April 10 – with still so much on the line in terms of the race for the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament, individual award races like MVP and Rookie of the Year, the scoring title chase and more.
