NBA Guide gives you a daily look at all the games that matter ... and some that don't. Utah at Denver, 10:30 PM ET, TNT
The fates would have the Jazz and Nuggets playoff foes if the proverbial season ended today. (I, for one, would be quite upset of the league found a reason to end the season today. Who does David Stern think he is?)
Denver has the No. 2 seed by a razor's depth right now, but it's conceivable (if unlikely) that the Nuggets could swap places with the Jazz before the season ends. You're probably tired of hearing it, but ... the West is fricking crazy right now! The weight of each game registers so heavily on the scales of destiny that it's honestly hard to miss a night. The conference is like a great novel -- you can't wait to get to the end, but you'd never dare skip a page.
Don't skip this page, people.
Cleveland at Washington, 8 PM ET, TNT
In all likelihood, Cavs at Wizards: The Game will be a completely lopsided affair hardly worth rapt attention. D.C.'s (um) Finest beat the Cavs earlier this season, but LeBron and the crew are so completely attuned to the stakes right now. The Lakers have let up, but Cleveland doesn't know how.
Lopsidedness has never precluded entertainment, though. LeBron and the Cavaliers, hated in D.C., in front of a court jestered by Gilbert Arenas? Expect some fun, even if Washington's on the rails toward some bad lotto memories.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia, 7 PM ET
The Sixers' Quest for the No. 5 Seed continues.




