Monday 25 March 2019 16:00, UK
Every Monday, we look back over the previous week of NBA action and put five teams under the microscope as we grade their recent performances.
With just over two weeks remaining of the NBA regular season, find out who is finding form at the right moment and who is running out of time to get things right before the playoffs.
The race for the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference is hotting up and the Miami Heat are rising to the challenge.
Week 23 saw them embark on a four-game road trip, which included matchups with three playoff teams.
There was a slight blessing to begin the week as Russell Westbrook sat out with suspension for the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the Heat took full advantage as Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic combined for 51 points off the bench.
Dragic, who has had to make do with a reserve role since returning from a long-term knee injury last month, then scored 22 points to lead six Heat players in double figures as they ended the San Antonio Spurs' nine-game winning streak.
There were no heroics in Milwaukee as Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game injury absence with a vengeance to lead the Bucks to a blowout win, but the Heat responded less than 24 hours later in the capital.
Six Miami players reached double figures once more as Wade scored 20 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter, to ensure the Heat saw off the Washington Wizards.
However, with the Orlando Magic having taken advantage of a homestand to bring up a four-game winning streak, the eighth-place Heat are just one game ahead going into Tuesday's crunch meeting between the two Florida teams.
The battle isn't just between them either, with only three games separating the sixth-place Brooklyn Nets and the Charlotte Hornets in 10th.
It became official in Week 23 that for the first time since 2005, LeBron James would miss the playoffs.
While it's been clear for a while that the Lakers were going to miss the postseason, their complete capitulation continues to amaze.
Both James, who is now sitting out certain games for 'load management' purposes, and Giannis Antetokounmpo were absent as the Milwaukee Bucks cruised to victory over the Lakers on Tuesday night.
James returned to host the Brooklyn Nets, who came to Los Angeles with both team and individual motivation. The Nets are fighting for a playoff place in the East, and their point guard D'Angelo Russell was traded away by the Lakers before establishing himself as an All-Star this season.
Russell made his point, 21 of them in fact, and handed out 13 assists as the Nets put the Lakers out of their misery by officially eliminating them from playoff contention.
"It's been a tough season for all of us," James said. "It's not what we signed up for.
"Throughout the year, things happen. Suspensions, injuries, and us just not being able to play sustainable basketball for 48 minutes.
"You don't even try to wrap your head around it. You just keep playing and try to get better and go from there."
The Lakers restored some pride on Sunday night by ending their five-game losing streak with a win over the Sacramento Kings, but it's a case of too little, too late from the purple and gold.
Despite LeBron and company's implosion, there will almost certainly be playoff basketball in Los Angeles this spring.
The Clippers are rolling and took advantage of a kind schedule in Week 23 to extend their winning streak to five games and make it 10 victories in their last 11.
Many thought that Tobias Harris' departure to the Philadelphia 76ers at the trade deadline in early February would signal the end of the Clippers' playoff hopes, but wins over the Indiana Pacers, Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks further disproved that theory.
Danilo Gallinari has embraced the added responsibility on offense and is playing the best basketball of his career. The Italian is on a nine-game streak of scoring 20 points or more, during which he has averaged 25.1 per game.
Meanwhile Lou Williams is on course for another Sixth Man award and rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to enhance his reputation, as he looks more and more like a steal with the 11th pick in last year's NBA draft.
But perhaps the most important personnel news for the Clippers this week was head coach Doc Rivers' dismissal of rumours linking him to the Lakers and revelation that he has agreed an unspecified contract extension with owner Steve Ballmer.
The Clippers' success and stability should be helpful when the time comes to attempt to entice free agents this summer. They certainly look the more attractive option than the team they share the Staples Center with.
The Boston Celtics are so unpredictable that their inconsistency is becoming predictable.
Just when they appeared to have turned the corner with five wins in six games, four losses followed in Week 23.
In a season in which his stock has taken a considerable hit, Boston head coach Brad Stevens called a timeout on which one could argue the Celtics' entire week hinged upon.
The Denver Nuggets made a three-pointer to cut the Celtics' lead to two points with 1.1 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Stevens called a timeout to try and set up one more shot for his team.
It went completely wrong as Marcus Morris' inbound pass went straight out of bounds, gifting the Nuggets possession and allowing them to tie the score, before they pulled away in the fourth quarter to win.
The final period proved decisive in the Celtics' next two losses as well, as they gave up a late lead on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers in a lively encounter that could still prove to be a postseason preview.
The Celtics then managed to give up an 18-point fourth-quarter lead against the Charlotte Hornets on the first night of a back-to-back. Across the three games the Celtics were outscored 102-69 in the fourth quarter, raising doubts once more over whether this team possesses the consistency to make any sort of run in the playoffs.
Hosting San Antonio 24 hours after their meltdown in Charlotte, Boston weren't even in contention come the final period. The Spurs cruised to a victory which left the Celtics two games back from the Indiana Pacers in the race for the Eastern Conference fourth seed and home-court advantage in what looks like being a first-round playoff matchup.
The Oklahoma City Thunder's season appeared in danger of completely unravelling until a vital road win at the end of Week 23 offered some salvation.
A disappointing loss at home to the Heat could just about be excused by Westbrook's absence, but defeat to the Toronto Raptors two nights later left the Thunder on a four-game losing streak and with a 5-10 record since the All-Star break.
Furthermore, the loss to the Raptors came after the Thunder had produced a storming fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime, making it all the more demoralising for both players and fans.
A rematch followed in Toronto on Friday night, in which a loss would have left the Thunder eighth in the Western Conference, just a few weeks after they had looked all but assured of the third seeding and home advantage for the opening round of the playoffs.
Thankfully for head coach Billy Donovan, the Thunder finally rediscovered their winning formula. An efficient scoring display from Paul George, a Westbrook triple-double and a considerable contribution from Dennis Schroder off the bench enabled what could turn out to be a pivotal victory.
It was the first time that George, whose play has carried the Thunder for much of the season, shot over .500 from the floor since he returned at the beginning of the month from a three-game absence caused by a shoulder injury.
With a relatively gentle schedule to come in Week 24, the Thunder have a platform to build upon, and at the very least elevate themselves away from a first-round matchup with the West-leading Golden State Warriors.
