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The New Orleans Pelicans travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets this Friday night in a Western Conference clash that features two teams at opposite ends of the standings. New Orleans sits at 22-45 on the season and is currently ranked 13th in the conference. Despite the record they have been playing much better basketball lately under interim coach James Borrego and looking like a difficult out for anyone. The Rockets are having a much stronger campaign with a 40-25 record which places them 3rd in the West as they look to solidify their home court advantage for the postseason. Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM and the game will be broadcast on SCHN. Houston is

The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to the Chase Center this Friday night for a 10:00 PM tipoff against the Golden State Warriors. Both teams enter this contest on three game losing streaks, creating a high pressure environment for two squads that were hoping to be trending in the opposite direction this late in the season. Minnesota currently sits at 40-26, holding the sixth spot in the Western Conference, while the Warriors are fighting to stay in the play-in mix with a 32-33 record. The game will be broadcast on NBCS and represents a critical opportunity for one of these teams to stop the bleeding. Minnesota is looking to find its footing after a blowout loss to the Clippers earlier this week.

Utah Tech and California Baptist meet Friday night at 11:30 PM ET from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, with a trip deeper into the WAC tournament on the line. It is a neutral-floor setting, but California Baptist enters in better overall shape at 23-8, while Utah Tech comes in at 19-14 after an 80-74 win over Abilene Christian on Thursday. The Lancers are laying 6.5 points, the moneyline sits at California Baptist -245 and Utah Tech +200, and the total is 137.5. There is also a recent head-to-head result hanging over this matchup. Utah Tech beat California Baptist 70-65 on February 15, so the Trailblazers should not be short on confidence even as the underdog. Still, California Baptist closed the

Cal State Fullerton and Hawaii meet Friday night at 11:30 PM ET in the Big West tournament at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. It is a neutral-floor semifinal, but it still carries a strong conference feel because both teams know each other well and both have already shown they can score in this matchup. Hawaii enters 22-8 and laying 3.5 points, while Cal State Fullerton comes in 18-15 after another strong showing in its quarterfinal win over UC Davis. This game is on ESPN2, and from a betting angle it looks like one of the more interesting late-night boards. Fullerton has been playing with confidence, winning three straight and cashing tickets along the way. Hawaii is the higher seed