Welcome to the final week of the NBA season, where a number of games being broadcast carry weight as teams jockey for playoff seeding.
Full NBA National TV schedule
For games April 7-13 | All times Eastern
| GAME | TIME | TV |
| Kings at Pistons | Mon., 7:00 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Celtics at Knicks | Tue., 7:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Warriors at Suns | Tue., 10 p.m. | TNT |
| Lakers at Mavericks | Wed., 7:30 p.m. | ESPN |
| Nuggets at Kings | Wed., 10 p.m. | ESPN |
| Cavaliers at Pacers | Thu., 7 p.m. | TNT |
| Timberwolves at Grizzlies | Thu., 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| Cavaliers at Knicks | Fri., 7:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
| Rockets at Lakers | Fri., 10:30 p.m. | NBA TV |
Kings at Pistons
Time: Mon., 7 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Expect both teams to be all-in because there are seeding implications for the Kings and Pistons. Detroit and Milwaukee are jockeying for the 5/6 seeds in the East. Meanwhile, the struggling Kings (3-7 in their last 10) are in a fight with Dallas for the 9/10 seed in the West (and hosting a play-in game), with the Phoenix still lurking just two games back of Sacramento. Both teams need wins.
Celtics at Knicks
Time: Tue., 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: This is a possible (even likely) second-round playoff preview, but it comes with a question: Can the Knicks get over the hump and beat one of the two teams ahead of them in the standings? New York is 0-6 this season against the Celtics and Cavaliers, and with Boston looming in the second round, New York could use the confidence-boosting win.
Warriors at Suns
Time: Tue., 10 p.m.ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: The “what might have been” game as Jimmy Butler’s new team takes on the team that desperately wanted him at the trade deadline but didn’t have a path to a deal (the Suns were hoping to get the kind of juice from the trade the Warriors have gotten). Golden State will bring it in this game as they sit in the middle of a seeding battle in the West and need wins. Phoenix is mathematically still alive entering the week and, with a series of wins, might catch Sacramento or Dallas for the No. 10 seed and final play-in spot, although the team looks like it has let go of the rope and quit on the season.
Lakers at Mavericks
Time: Wed., 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Why you watch: The game of the week. Luka Doncic returns home to Dallas, where Mavericks fans will shower him with love — he didn’t ask for a trade or try to force his way out — while “Fire Nico” chants will echo throughout the arena. This is also Anthony Davis playing against his former team and the Lakers don’t have a good defensive matchup for him. Don’t be surprised if AD is the guy with the best stat line at the end of the night.
Nuggets at Kings
Time: Wed., 10 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Why you watch: Because Nikola Jokic. Watch him play every chance you get, there is nobody like him in the league (and never has been). The other thing to watch is the team around Jokic. Is Jamal Murray back yet and how does he look? What about Michael Porter Jr.? If the Nuggets are going to be a legitimate threat in the West playoffs those two have to step up their games, they have been injured and inconsistent of late (the Nuggets dropped four games in a row last week despite Jokic putting up a 60-point triple-double in one of them). Both teams have seeding reasons to take this game seriously.
Cavaliers at Pacers
Time: Thu., 7 p.m.ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: A potential second-round playoff preview matchup. It’s also a fantastic backcourt chess match with the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton going up against Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Indiana enters the week needing a couple of wins to secure a top-four seed, it may take this game more seriously than a Cleveland team that has the top seed locked up.
Timberwolves at Grizzlies
Time: Thu., 9:30 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Why you watch: Ja Morant vs. Anthony Edwards will be a show. Also, both of these teams are trying to win games down the stretch, get a top-six seed and avoid the play-in. Minnesota has been playing its best basketball of the season recently and enters the week having won five in a row, while Memphis has struggled against good teams of late, and firing their coach, Taylor Jenkins, has not seemed to help with the vibes around the club.
Cavaliers at Knicks
Time: Fri., 7:30 p.m.ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: Two of the top three seeds in the East facing off. While the Cavaliers may rest guys (they have nothing on the line), the Knicks should play Jalen Brunson in this one because he’s got to play in at least three of the Knicks’ four games this week to reach the 65-game threshold to qualify for postseason awards. The Knicks enter the week 0-6 against the two teams above them in the standings — the Celtics and Cavaliers — but get one more shot at each.
Rockets at Lakers
Time: Fri., 10:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBA TV
Why you watch: While Houston entered the week with a strong grip on the No. 2 seed (and may have locked it up by this point), Los Angeles needs wins to secure a top-four seed in a tight Western Conference. The Lakers won a matchup between these teams last week thanks to a small-ball defense that threw off Alperen Sengun and the Rockets, now we see how Houston adjusts.
League Pass games of note
- Chicago Bulls @ Cleveland Cavaliers (Tue., 7 p.m. ET): While the Cavaliers have locked up the No. 1 seed, the Bulls have been the more fun and entertaining team of late behind Coby White and Josh Giddey — could Chicago pull the upset?
- Atlanta Hawks @ Orlando Magic (Tue., 7 p.m. ET): The first of two meetings this week between the teams battling for the No. 7 seed and the chance to host the first round of the Play-In Tournament. Expect a playoff feel.
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder (Tue., 8 p.m. ET): Second of two games between these teams in OKC (the first was a Lakers win). The Lakers need at least a split between the two or risk falling out of the top four in the West.
- Houston Rockets @ Los Angeles Clippers (Wed., 10:30 p.m. ET): Houston’s Ime Udoka and Los Angeles’ Tyronn Lue have done two of the best coaching jobs in the league this season, and they go head-to-head on Wednesday night. The Clippers, in the middle of a packed group from 3-8 in the West, need the wins and may play with more desperation.
- New York Knicks @ Detroit Pistons (Thu., 7 p.m. ET): A potential 3/6 first-round matchup in the East. The Pistons will be hunting wins, trying to get to the No. 5 seed (and face the Pacers instead of the Knicks in the first round). The Knicks (basically locked in as the No. 3 seed) may not have the same motivation but will have to play Jalen Brunson minutes as he makes sure to qualify for postseason awards.
- Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons (Fri., 7 p.m. ET): The first of two games between these teams — battling for the 5/6 seeds in the East — to close out the season. This game could have massive seeding implications.
- Memphis Grizzlies @ Denver Nuggets (Fri., 9 p.m. ET): Will we get Jamal Murray in this one? Murray has been out since March 28 with a hamstring issue and coach Michael Malone is talking about hoping to have him back for the playoffs. Denver needs him. This is a late-season game between two teams fighting for top-six seeds in the West and a lot could be on the line.
- Orlando Magic @ Atlanta Hawks (Sun., 1 p.m. ET): The second meeting of a home-and-home series this week between two teams currently slotted to duke it out for the No. 7 seed in the Play-In Tournament.
- Milwaukee Bucks @ Detroit Pistons (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET): The second of two games to close out the season between the teams battling for the No. 5 seed in the East. This game could ultimately decide who goes to New York and who goes to Indiana to start the East playoffs.
