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Boston heads to State Farm Arena on Monday night for a 7:30 PM ET tip in a game that feels a lot more competitive than the standings gap might suggest. The Celtics are 50-24 and already locked into the playoff picture, but Atlanta is 42-33, sitting sixth in the East, and has turned into one of the hottest teams in the conference. The Hawks have won 15 of their last 17, and this is not some soft little run either. They have been scoring, moving the ball, and generally looking like a team that would rather avoid the play-in mess entirely. Boston is coming in off a 114-99 win over Charlotte, its third straight, with Jayson Tatum dropping 32 and

Phoenix heads to FedExForum on Monday night for an 8:00 PM tip in a game that matters much more to the visitors than the hosts. The Suns are 41-33 and still trying to stay out of the play-in mess in the West, while Memphis is 25-49 and mostly playing through injuries and toward the finish line. Phoenix just dropped 134 on Utah and looked sharp offensively, especially in the first half, while the Grizzlies finally snapped a five-game slide with a 125-124 win over Chicago. This is one of those late-season spots where motivation, health, and roster depth all point in the same direction. The Suns have been shaky on the road lately, which keeps this from feeling automatic, but

The Chicago Bulls head to Frost Bank Center on Monday night for an 8:00 PM ET tip in a game that looks lopsided on paper and, honestly, probably is. Chicago is 29-45, 12th in the East, and already out of the playoff picture. San Antonio is 56-18, second in the West, and riding an eight-game winning streak while still chasing the top overall seed. That is a pretty sharp contrast in motivation and form. The Bulls are still competing, to their credit. They nearly stole one in Memphis over the weekend, losing 125-124 after Matas Buzelis dropped 29 and Josh Giddey posted his 13th triple-double of the season. But they have now lost three straight and five of six. San

Minnesota heads to American Airlines Center on Monday night for an 8:30 PM ET tip in a game that matters far more to the Timberwolves than it does to Dallas. The Wolves are 45-29 and sitting fifth in the West, so every game matters for playoff positioning. The Mavericks are 24-50, 13th in the conference, and mostly playing out the string, though they did just snap a five-game skid with a road win over Portland. There is some injury noise hanging over Minnesota, and that is probably why this line is not a little higher. Anthony Edwards is listed day to day with knee inflammation, Jaden McDaniels is day to day, and Ayo Dosunmu is also questionable. Dallas has its