The Indiana Pacers slipped just a bit in their quest for homecourt advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, and now the schedule is working against them. The Pacers will make a brief stop at home on Thursday to host the defending champion Golden State Warriors before heading back out to visit East-leading Toronto on Friday.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will have coach Tyronn Lue back on the sidelines when they host the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Lue missed the past nine games due to health issues that included chest pains and sleep deprivation and the team went 8-1 under interim coach Larry Drew during his absence.

Portland star guard Damian Lillard will sit out with a sprained left ankle when the Trail Blazers visit the Houston Rockets on Thursday. Lillard injured the ankle in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 115-109 loss to the Dallas Mavericks and could miss multiple games.

The Milwaukee Bucks clinched a playoff spot without even taking the floor when the Detroit Pistons fell on Wednesday, but their postseason seeding is still up in the air. The Bucks could jump as high as sixth with a win over the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday and some help.

The Los Angeles Clippers have no margin for error with four games remaining in the regular season when it comes to landing a Western Conference playoff spot. Los Angeles resides in 10th place in the West as it visits the scorching-hot Utah Jazz on Thursday.

The battle for a playoff spot in the Western Conference promises to go down to the final games of the regular season, and the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets plan to be in the mix. The Nuggets will try to jump into the top eight at the expense of the Timberwolves when they host Minnesota on Thursday.