Even a depleted lineup cannot slow down the red-hot Boston Celtics, who have won seven in a row entering Friday’s home contest against the Atlanta Hawks. The streaking Celtics needed overtime in Wednesday’s 130-125 victory at Washington, and while playing without three key players Boston saw guard Kyrie Irving score its final 12 points – including two critical 3-pointers late in extra time – en route to a 38-point performance.

The Charlotte Hornets look to record their ninth consecutive home win over New York when they host the Knicks on Friday. Charlotte enters the contest with a season-high three-game winning streak after edging the Detroit Pistons 108-107 on Wednesday.

The Brooklyn Nets are turning some heads with their play of late, which includes a pair of wins over Eastern Conference contenders during a three-game streak. The Nets will try to push it to four in a row on Friday when they host the slumping Washington Wizards, who dropped their last three games.

The Milwaukee Bucks are just a .500 team over their past 10 games after getting off to a torrid 13-4 start. The Bucks attempt to rediscover their early season form when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in the middle contest of a three-game road trip.

Joel Embiid is playing like an MVP candidate again with Jimmy Butler out of the lineup, but the Philadelphia 76ers are missing their closer. The 76ers hope to have Butler back from a groin injury when they host the Indiana Pacers on Friday.

The Memphis Grizzlies are fresh off their top defensive performance of the season as they prepare to host the Miami Heat on Friday. Memphis allowed its fewest points of the season while notching a 92-83 win over Portland on Wednesday and held the Trail Blazers to 36.6 percent shooting from the field.

The Denver Nuggets are atop the Western Conference standings but four other teams are within one game. One of those squads are the Oklahoma City Thunder, who visit Denver on Friday and trail the Nuggets by a half-game.

The Toronto Raptors are not just contenders to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals, they are announcing themselves as a team capable of winning an NBA championship. The Raptors will try to avoid a letdown after a big victory over Golden State when they continue the road trip by visiting the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.

The Sacramento Kings are a team on the rise, one of several young teams pushing to become like the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, who visit the Kings on Friday, are coming off a rare off night but still look poised to contend for their third consecutive NBA title and fourth in five years.