NBA playoff race 2024: Mavericks-Warriors caps crucial day

The NBA playoff race is coming down to the wire, and Tuesday night features a nine-game slate full of matchups that will impact the playoff picture in both conferences. In the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, and New York Knicks will all be in action, as they look to maintain their positions inside the top four of the standings. However, the Western Conference is going to be impacted the most, not just because the top three teams are in action but also due to the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors capping off the night.

Both the Mavericks and Warriors still have a lot to prove ahead of the playoffs, for different reasons. Whereas the Mavs are looking to avoid the play-in tournament and possibly dethrone the Los Angeles Clippers from the No. 4 spot, the Warriors are simply looking to hold onto the No. 10 spot and fend off the surging Houston Rockets.

Better yet, the Mavs and Warriors own the two longest active win streaks at seven and four games, respectively.

The results of Tuesday night's games will shake up the NBA playoff picture and standings even more, which is why there are no worthless battles on this schedule.

Lakers vs. Raptors (7:00 PM ET)

The Toronto Raptors have lost 13 straight games, while the Los Angeles Lakers have won six of their last seven games. LeBron James is coming off a 40-point performance against the Brooklyn Nets, a game in which he hit nine triples. The Lakers, who have an opportunity to jump within a half-game of the Sacramento Kings for the 8-seed in the Western Conference, will face a Raptors team receiving key reinforcements in Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.

• The Lakers lead the Warriors by 1.5 games for the 9-seed in the West, but trail the Kings by 1.5 games entering Tuesday. The Raptors have been eliminated from postseason contention.
• There is still an outside chance for the Lakers to climb out of the play-in tournament region of the standings, as they are three full games behind the No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans.

Bucks vs. Wizards (7:00 PM ET)

Set to be without Damian Lillard, the Milwaukee Bucks hit the road to take on the 14-win Washington Wizards. The Bucks have struggled as of late, posting a 6-6 record over their last 12 games. Giannis Antetokounmpo has been red-hot, as he averaged 31.8 points, 13.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in the month of March.

• Another win for the Bucks would push them closer to clinching the 2-seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee currently leads Cleveland by 2.5 games with eight games remaining, including Tuesday's game against the Wizards.
• If the Wizards are to win and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeat the Utah Jazz, the Bucks' lead for the 2-seed in the East would shrink to 1.5 games.

Thunder vs. 76ers (7:30 PM ET, TNT)

Joel Embiid was rumored to be preparing for a possible comeback from his MCL injury against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but that no longer looks like a possibility after he missed morning shootaround. Tyrese Maxey is also in danger of missing this game for the Philadelphia 76ers due to a hip injury. The 76ers, who are now sinking in the play-in region of the East standings, desperately need a win against a playoff contender such as the Thunder. For Oklahoma City, they are looking to maintain their position at the top of the West with limited games remaining.

• Joel Embiid, who missed shootaround on Tuesday morning, is listed as OUT for Tuesday's game against OKC.
• Philadelphia is 1.5 games behind the No. 7 Miami Heat, and they are 2.5 games behind the No. 6 Indiana Pacers. A loss to the Thunder would push them one step closer to having to earn a playoff spot via the play-in tournament.
• The Thunder lead the No. 2 Denver Nuggets by a half-game at the top of the Western Conference standings. A loss to the 76ers would likely push the Thunder out of the No. 1 spot in the West, pending the results of Denver and Minnesota.

Knicks vs. Heat (7:30 PM ET)

Doesn't this just look like and feel like a playoff game? When the New York Knicks and Miami Heat meet in April, fireworks should always be expected. Two gritty, hard-nosed teams who both desperately need a win will meet in South Beach on Tuesday night in a game that could really influence how the NBA playoff race turns out. While the Knicks are looking to hold onto home-court advantage for a first-round playoff series, the Heat are still looking to climb out of the hole they've dug themselves in the play-in region of the East standings.

• Back-to-back losses have put the Knicks in a position where a loss to the Heat pushes them out of the top four in the East, adding more madness to the NBA playoff picture.
• New York currently leads the No. 5 Orlando Magic by a half-game entering Tuesday, and they trail the No. 3 Cavs by a half-game. Win or lose, the Knicks will likely be moving in the East standings.
• The Heat can pick up their third straight win on Tuesday night, possibly pulling a half-game behind the No. 6 Indiana Pacers. A loss and a win by the No. 8 76ers puts Miami in a dangerous position where they could be on the verge of dropping to the 8-seed in the East.
• The Knicks own the season tiebreaker over the Heat after winning the first two meetings earlier this year.

Rockets vs. Timberwolves (8:00 PM ET)

Perhaps the most underrated matchup on Tuesday night features the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves, two teams that desperately need a win for differing reasons pertaining to the NBA playoff picture. Whereas the Rockets are looking to win and possibly pull within a game of the No. 10 Warriors at the bottom of the play-in tournament, the Timberwolves have a chance to once again take the No. 1 spot away from the Thunder and Nuggets.

• After winning 11 straight games to suddenly work their way back into the NBA playoff picture, the Rockets fell 125-107 in their previous game against the Mavs. Now, Houston enters Tuesday night two full games behind the Warriors for the No. 10 spot in the West.
• A win and a loss by the Warriors to the Mavericks puts the Rockets one full game behind Golden State in the standings.
• Minnesota is a half-game behind the No. 2 Nuggets and a full-game behind the No. 1 Thunder. All three teams are in action on Tuesday.

Spurs vs. Nuggets (9:00 PM ET)

A battle of big men takes center stage when Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs look to pull off an improbable road upset over Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. Next to the Thunder and Timberwolves, the Nuggets remain jockeying for position at the top of the Western Conference standings. A hiccup against the Spurs would be detrimental to their chances of claiming the No. 1 spot in the NBA playoff picture.

• Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan will all miss Tuesday night's game for San Antonio.
• The Spurs are currently tied for the third-worst record in the league with the Charlotte Hornets.
• The No. 2 Nuggets will regain control of the top spot in the West standings with a win and a loss by the Thunder.
• A loss to the Spurs would throw Denver into a position where they could be the No. 3 team in the West by the end of Tuesday.

Cavaliers vs. Jazz (9:00 PM ET)

The Cavaliers are still in the hunt for the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference, and they are looking to bounce back from a disastrous 29-point loss to the Nuggets with a road win against the Jazz, who have lost nine straight. Donovan Mitchell recently voiced his frustrations with the Cavs recent loss, which is why they are going to be locked in for this game, one they need to have to maintain position in the NBA playoff race.

• The No. 3 Cavs trail the No. 2 Bucks by 2.5 games in the East standings and lead the No. 4 Knicks by just a half-game. A win tonight and a Bucks loss could pull the Cavaliers closer to Milwaukee for the 2-seed.
• A loss by the Cavs and a win by New York would push Cleveland down to the No. 4 spot in the East.
• The Jazz have been eliminated from postseason contention in the Western Conference.

Clippers vs. Kings (10:00 PM ET)

The Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings are searching for answers on the verge of the playoffs. Nothing has gone right for the Clippers since the All-Star break, and the Kings are dealing with two key injuries to Kevin Huerter and Malik Monk. The Clippers have won two out of three meetings against the Kings this season and will claim the season tiebreaker with a win tonight.

• The Clippers are four games behind the No. 3 Timberwolves and two games in front of the No. 5 Mavericks. A loss to the Kings won't immediately impact Los Angeles' spot in the Western Conference standings.
• Currently a half-game behind the No. 8 Phoenix Suns and 1.5 games behind the No. 6 New Orleans Pelicans, the Kings could really use a win against the Clippers. A loss to the Clippers, plus a Lakers win, puts Sacramento just a half-game ahead of No. 9 Los Angeles in the standings.

Mavericks vs. Warriors (10:00 PM ET, TNT)

The final game on Tuesday is definitely the biggest in terms of how the Western Conference will play out. The NBA playoff race is very tight right now, and the Warriors are on the verge of falling out of contention all together as the Rockets lurk behind them for the No. 10 spot. Believe it or not, this matchup features the two teams with the longest active win streaks in the league: Dallas has won nine straight games, and Golden State has won four straight games.

• Seven straight wins have propelled the Mavs to the 5-seed in the West with eight games remaining, including Tuesday night's game vs. Golden State. A win could push Dallas within a game of the No. 4 Clippers, should Los Angeles lose to the Kings.
• A loss by No. 5 Dallas moved them into a tie for the 5-seed with No. 6 New Orleans.
• Four straight wins have not moved the Warriors in the standings, but they have helped hold off the Rockets, who are two games behind the Warriors for the 10-seed.
• A win for the No. 10 Warriors and a loss by the No. 9 Lakers moved Golden State within a half-game of the 9-seed in the West.