The Los Angeles Clippers are bidding for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs while their arena-mates are trying to maximize their ping pong balls for the draft lottery. The Clippers will serve as host and try to take advantage of the Los Angeles Lakers when they meet on Saturday.

The Atlanta Hawks finally woke up, realized they were letting their playoff chances slip away and turned up the defense en route to two wins. The Hawks will try to make it three straight on Saturday at the expense of the host Chicago Bulls, who sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference but won their last two against teams ahead of them in the standings.

The two worst teams in the Eastern Conference square off on Saturday, when the Orlando Magic visit the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have lost three of their last four games and own the worst record in the NBA while Orlando is having its own troubles as it has dropped eight of its last 11 contests.

The Minnesota Timberwolves and Sacramento Kings again will be watching the postseason from home, a long-time trend for the two franchises who will meet on Saturday. Host Minnesota is wrapping up its 13th consecutive season of missing the playoffs while Sacramento is sinking rapidly as it sits out the postseason for the 11th straight time.

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the hottest teams in the league and are trying to run away with the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference. The Phoenix Suns, who visit the Trail Blazers on Saturday, own a 10-game losing streak and are focusing less on wins and more on player development over the final month.