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Nightly Playoffs Preview: Rockets pass Grizzlies, Nets move into 8th, Suns' season all but over

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Every night from now through April 15, the end of the NBA regular season, theScore will bring you potential playoff matchups - and teams still in the mix to qualify - based on the final nightly standings.

Here's where things stand after March 29:

Eastern Conference

Matchup Home Visitor
1 vs. 8 Z - Hawks Nets
2 vs. 7 X - Cavaliers Heat
3 vs. 6 X - Bulls Bucks
4 vs. 5 Y - Raptors Wizards
  • The East standings continue changing. With so many teams bunched up at the bottom fighting for the final two playoff spots - and so few games remaining - expect that to continue right to the end of the season. 
  • It's the Nets who now sit in eighth after they extended their winning streak to three games with a win over the Lakers on Sunday. 
  • Dwyane Wade was in vintage form, dropping 40 points to power the Heat past the Pistons despite having no Hassan Whiteside for the third straight game and losing both Luol Deng and Michael Beasley. 
  • The Cavaliers moved 2.5 games up on the Bulls in the Central Division after squeaking by the 76ers with a one-point win. Cleveland's victory came at an expense, though, as Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert each left the game with injuries.

In the Mix

Team Games Behind
Celtics 0.5
Pacers 0.5
Hornets 1

Western Conference

Matchup Home Visitor
1 vs. 8 Y - Warriors Thunder
2 vs. 7 X - Rockets Mavericks
3 vs. 6 X - Grizzlies Spurs
4 vs. 5 Trail Blazers X - Clippers
  • A four-game winning streak by the Rockets and three-game losing skid by the Grizzlies has propelled Houston to the top spot in the Southwest Division. The Rockets moved into second in the West and dropped the Grizzlies down to third - right now that's looking like the difference between playing the Spurs, who topped Memphis on Sunday, or the Mavericks.
  • It's looking more and more likely that Dallas is going to lock in to the No. 7 seed. A loss to Indiana on Sunday didn't help matters. 
  • Don't look now, but the Clippers have reeled off seven wins in a row and finished March with an 11-4 record. 

In the Mix 

Team Games Behind
Pelicans 2.5
Suns 4
  • The Suns' season is all but done after losing to the eighth-place Thunder on Sunday to fall four games back with eight remaining. 
  • Anthony Davis powered the Pelicans past the Timberwolves with a 28-point, nine-rebound, five-assist effort, and has New Orleans still hanging on by a thread. New Orleans' chances of getting through to the playoffs is 12.7 percent.

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