The Los Angeles Clippers scored their way out of a losing streak with a 127-120 win at Milwaukee on Wednesday but need to string some wins together to get back into the race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. The road trip doesn’t get any easier on Friday, when the Clippers visit the Indiana Pacers.

If the Denver Nuggets are going to make the Western Conference playoffs this spring, they are going to have to figure out a way to beat a good team on the road. The Nuggets will try to improve to 2-2 on the current seven-game trip when they visit the Washington Wizards on Friday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have their eyes on the stretch drive as they enter Friday's home contest against the lowly Phoenix Suns. The Cavaliers are looking for their fourth straight win and are coming off a strong effort in a 132-129 comeback victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Toronto Raptors.

The Minnesota Timberwolves are already feeling the playoff intensity, even though their spot has yet to be secured. After picking up a critical victory against one of their chief competitors in the Western Conference, the Timberwolves head back onto the road for a two-game trip beginning with a visit to the New York Knicks on Friday.

The Toronto Raptors came up just short in an attempt to prove their first-place standing was no fluke in a loss at Cleveland on Wednesday, but they remain the only team in the Eastern Conference yet to reach 20 losses. The Raptors will try to get back into the win column and draw closer to clinching the No. 1 spot when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday.

The Milwaukee Bucks are slipping at the wrong time, and now they're without their best player. The Bucks will try to avoid a third straight loss without the help of Giannis Antetokounmpo when they visit the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

The Oklahoma City Thunder begin a pivotal stretch where four of six games are at home as they entertain the Miami Heat on Friday. Oklahoma City also plays Portland, San Antonio (road), Denver, New Orleans (road) and Golden State during the stretch as it attempts to land home-floor advantage for the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The Utah Jazz seek to finish off a four-game season sweep of San Antonio when they visit the Spurs on Friday. Utah has recorded four straight overall victories against the Spurs for their best stretch of success against San Antonio in eight years.

The Boston Celtics are performing admirably in the wake of a nasty run of injuries, taking out two of the top four teams in the Western Conference in recent days. The Celtics seek their third straight victory against a West foe when they continue a four-game road trip at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

When the Boston Celtics got a buzzer-beater to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers at home last month, the teams were in very different positions compared to the ones they find themselves heading into Friday's matchup in Portland. The Celtics were a mostly healthy bunch in first place in the Eastern Conference after that triumph and - despite a win over Oklahoma City on Wednesday - are a battered second-place squad entering a challenging road-heavy portion of the schedule.

All-Star point guard Stephen Curry will return from a six-game absence because of a right ankle injury when the Golden State Warriors host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr said there is nothing gained by continuing to hold out Curry, who has experienced repeated issues with the ankle this season.