The season has been a lost cause for the Brooklyn Nets for the last few months, but that doesn't mean the players have stopped putting in effort. The Nets will try to pick up their third win in the last five games when they host the stumbling Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

The Boston Celtics expect to play at least one more game without All-Star point guard Isaiah Thomas as they try to stay in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference and are hoping for a similar result after winning without their leader on Friday. The Philadelphia 76ers, who host the Celtics on Sunday, won't make it easy with the way they've been playing of late.

The Detroit Pistons played their way into the top eight in the Eastern Conference last weekend but played themselves back out with three straight losses this week. The Pistons will try to bounce back and keep the pressure on the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat at the bottom of the East playoff bracket when they host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

The New Orleans Pelicans look to sweep the three-game season series when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday in a battle of teams who have not met expectations. The Timberwolves lost three of the last four and New Orleans boasts wins in three of its past four contests, including Friday’s surprising 128-112 victory over Houston without All-Star DeMarcus Cousins in the lineup.

The Indiana Pacers look like a team that could do some damage in the Eastern Conference playoffs - as long as they're playing at home. The Pacers will try to snap a three-game road slide and earn back-to-back wins for the first time in over a month when they visit the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.

The Miami Heat will try to extend a long home winning streak and return to .500 for the first time in more than four months when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. Friday's 123-105 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves gave the Heat seven consecutive victories at AmericanAirlines Arena and pulled the team — once 19 games below .500 — to within a game of the even mark.

The San Antonio Spurs will try to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season when they host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for 43 points but their fellow starters had a total of 10 in the Spurs' 104-96 loss at Memphis on Saturday, giving the squad its third two-game slide of the season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were barely competitive without their Big 3 at the Staples Center on Saturday night, but the star trio is expected back for the second half of the Cavaliers' double-dip in Los Angeles on Sunday when they face the host Lakers. LeBron James (rest), Kyrie Irving (knee) and Kevin Love (knee) all watched from the sidelines during Saturday's 108-78 loss to the Clippers.