Sacramento 99, Houston 98: It’s not unheard of, but can you imagine what the reaction would be if the Rockets missed the playoffs? Five of their final eight are on the road, plus the Suns visit Clutch City. Even if Dirk is back this week, the Mavs have the toughest road, having to face five “good” (read: in the playoff hunt) teams. So that would mean being overtaken by the Warriors or Nuggets.

Denver 126, Phoenix 120: You know we love the Suns now, and yes, it’s mostly because of Shaq. But they’re going to squash any hopes of a playoff run if they give up 70 points in a half in the postseason, like they did last night. Undrafted veteran point guard Anthony Carter had eight points, 10 assists, and six steals for the Nuggets, who now are half a game up on the Warriors for the 8th spot in the West.

New Orleans 98, Orlando 97: Time is winding down, you’re trailing by one, and the last shot is taken by … Keyon Dooling? Really? Superman had 17-15.

San Antonio 116, Golden State 92: No time for the Warriors to sweat this ass-whoppin‘. They forgot how to run an offensive mid-way through the second quarter and never recovered, so let’s push past this. Massive road game tonight in Dallas.

Philadelphia 108, New Jersey 97: The Nets would be better served missing the playoffs. This team is in dire need of an offensive force inside, and although Nenad Krstic has shown flashes (two years ago, and early last year, before the injury), he’s a softie, and not a presence. What about Hasheem “Upside” Thabeet, who might pair nicely with another UConn grad, Josh Boone (or pothead Sean Williams), up front, since you’ve already got enough offense from VC and RJ? If Marcus Williams got some burn, you could have three Huskies on the floor at once!