Expert NBA GAME Previews

Charlotte heads to Orlando on Friday night for a win-and-in Play-In Tournament game at Kia Center, with tipoff set for 7:30 PM ET on Prime Video. The Hornets closed the regular season 44-38 and grabbed the East’s No. 9 spot, while Orlando finished 45-37 and landed at No. 8. The winner gets the final playoff berth in the conference and

Golden State heads to Phoenix for a single-elimination Play-In Tournament game on Friday night, with tipoff set for 10:00 PM ET at Mortgage Matchup Center. The Warriors enter as the No. 10 seed at 37-45 after surviving the Clippers on Wednesday, while the Suns finished 45-37 and now get a home floor shot after falling to Portland in the 7-8

The final game of the season does not mean nothing here, even if neither team is headed to the postseason. Chicago comes into Dallas at 31-50 after another frustrating year in the East, while the Mavericks are 25-56 and trying to close out an ugly season with one more good offensive night at home. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m.

The Denver Nuggets head to Frost Bank Center on Sunday night for a regular-season finale that still carries real playoff weight. Denver is 53-28, has won 11 straight, and can lock up the No. 3 seed in the West with a win. San Antonio is 62-19, already secured in the No. 2 spot, and has been just as hot lately

The Memphis Grizzlies head to Toyota Center on Sunday night for the regular-season finale, and this is one of those matchups where the standings tell only part of the story. Memphis is 25-56 and limping to the finish line after seven straight losses, while Houston is 51-30 and already locked into the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. Tipoff

Sunday’s regular-season finale might end up being a dress rehearsal for Wednesday. The Warriors head into Intuit Dome at 37-44 already locked into the No. 10 seed in the West, which means they know they are opening the play-in on the road no matter what. The Clippers are 41-40 and still have more to sort out. Los Angeles can still

The New Orleans Pelicans close the season on the road Sunday night when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center in Minneapolis. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET. New Orleans enters at 26-55 and well out of the playoff picture, while Minnesota is 48-33 and already locked into the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference. That means

The Utah Jazz head to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night for the regular-season finale, but the urgency is not split evenly. Utah is 22-59 and already locked into lottery territory. The Lakers are 52-29, have already secured home court in the first round, and still have a path to the No. 3 seed in the West if they win and

The Brooklyn Nets head to Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night for the regular-season finale, with tipoff set for 6:00 PM ET. Toronto comes in at 45-36 and still has something real to play for, while Brooklyn is 20-61 and already locked into lottery territory. The Raptors slipped to sixth in the East after Friday’s loss to the Knicks, so this