Two teams hoping to avoid the play-in tournament face off Saturday night when the New York Knicks visit the Sacramento Kings.
The Knicks (39-27) and Kings (38-27) have each won two straight as they race toward the 40-win mark in the first of their two meetings in the final month of the regular season.
The clubs will meet again on April 4 in New York.
In a classic matchup of good defense versus good offense, the Knicks have been brilliant on the defensive end as of late. They held three consecutive opponents to under 80 points before giving up 93 in a 12-point win at Portland on Thursday to begin their current four-game road trip.
New York has given up 81.3 points per game during that four-game stretch, nearly 27 points below its season average of 108.1 points allowed, which is second in the league behind the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers (twice) and Trail Blazers combined to shoot just 37.8% overall and 27.9% from 3-point range during that stretch.