The Charlotte Hornets are far enough out of the race with 13 games left that making a run up to the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference would be a big surprise, but that doesn't mean they've given up hope. The Hornets will try to knock off a top-5 team from the East for a second consecutive game when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

The Philadelphia 76ers have a chance to match their longest winning streak of the season when they visit the Orlando Magic on Monday. A rally from 13 points down helped the 76ers get past the Boston Celtics by a 105-99 margin at home Sunday afternoon, giving them two straight wins for the first time in over a month.

The Indiana Pacers hope the current trend continues for just one more game as they work on holding a playoff positon in the Eastern Conference when they host the Utah Jazz on Monday. The Pacers have alternated wins and losses over their last 13 contests and are coming off a disparaging 116-91 setback at Toronto on Sunday in which they were pounded 51-33 on the boards.

The race for second place in the Eastern Conference intensifies Monday night when the Washington Wizards visit the Boston Celtics for the latest edition of a testy rivalry. The teams engaged in some heated matchups earlier this season while jockeying for position behind the front-running Cleveland Cavaliers, with the second-place Celtics entering this one 1 1/2 games up on the Wizards after Sunday's 105-99 loss in Philadelphia.

The Denver Nuggets could not figure out a way to slow James Harden on Saturday and ended up with a 109-105 home loss. The Nuggets will get another chance on Monday, when they visit Harden and the Houston Rockets for the back end of a home-and-home set.

The atmosphere won't be nearly as hostile with Kevin Durant sidelined by a knee injury, but the Golden State Warriors still won't be welcomed when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. The NBA-best Warriors only recently look like they've figured out how to win without Durant and will try to find a way to stop Thunder star Russell Westbrook.

The Los Angeles Clippers are trying to fight off the Oklahoma City Thunder in the battle for the No. 5 spot in the Western Conference and got some outside assistance in that quest when the Cleveland Cavaliers decided to take it easy on Saturday. The Clippers will try to turn that momentum into back-to-back wins when they host the New York Knicks on Monday.