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After 12 pulsating games on Friday night, the NBA offers two thrilling matchups tonight, Saturday.
The schedule starts with the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat at 7:30 PM ET. NBA TV will televise the tussle on national TV while Bally Sports Sun and Bally Sports Dallas will handle local coverage.
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At 8:30 PM ET, the visiting LA Clippers will take on the New Orleans Pelicans. Bally Sports New Orleans, KTLA and ClipperVision will air the game live on local channels.
The Clippers-Pelicans game is also available via the NBA League Pass.
The Dallas Mavericks are trying to keep their NBA season alive against the Miami Heat
The Dallas Mavericks (37-40) are in 11th place in the Western Conference with only five games remaining, including tonight’s game in Miami. They are half a game behind the OKC Thunder (38-40), who own the season series (2-1).
The Mavericks are only 1-5 in their last six games and are in danger of missing the play-in tournament. They are in desperate need of wins as the games dwindle.
NBA superstar Luka Doncic has put up a near triple-double average in five games since returning from a hamstring injury. He’s averaging 30.6 points, 9.4 assists and 9.2 rebounds. The Mavericks, however, are only 1-4 in those games.
Doncic will be available tonight to try and lead his team to a crucial victory over the hosts Miami Heat.
The Heat are also expected to go all-out for a win at the expense of the Dallas Mavericks. Miami (40-37) is two games behind the Brooklyn Nets (42-35) for the sixth seed and a guaranteed playoff spot.
Jimmy Butler vowed last year after losing to the Boston Celtics that the Heat would be back in the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. Getting an outright playoff spot will be a big step in that direction.
Butler has been steadily playing well but is under the radar. Over his last 10 games, he is averaging 26.1 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals. “Jimmy Buckets” is also hitting 56.8% of his shots, including 43.8% from behind the arc.
Tonight’s matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat could be decided by the winner of the Luka Doncic-Jimmy Butler battle.
The LA Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans are looking to push their respective playoff bids
The LA Clippers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday dropped their record to 41-37. They remain in fifth place in the Western Conference but are now 1.5 games behind the Phoenix Suns for the fourth spot.
If Phoenix retains the fourth seed, they will have home-court advantage versus the Clippers in a mouthwatering first-round war.
Two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is expected to play his first back-to-back game since 2021 tonight. LA is winless in two games against the New Orleans Pelicans, so winning this match will be a big challenge for them.
The Pelicans, on the other hand, have a brutal schedule ahead of them to make at least the play-in tournament. They are the eighth-seed in the Western Conference with a 39-38 record but only two games ahead of the 11th-place Dallas Mavericks (37-40).
Every win is decisive for New Orleans as they continue to battle without NBA All-Star Zion Williamson. After the Clippers, the Pelicans still have to face the Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks and Minnesota Timberwolves.
