If the Knicks and Hawks finish tied, New York owns the tiebreaker due to its head-to-head wins over Atlanta this season. Detroit Pistons Rugs

Friday's 10-game slate was headlined by the Lakers' trip north to take on Portland, with the winner grabbing the head-to-head tiebreaker and a leg up in the race to avoid the play-in tournament in the West. But the star of the night was a Jazz forward who has recently answered the call while the team is down both of its starting guards. Los Angeles Lakers Rugs

After spending a half-decade atop the NBA world, the Warriors now find themselves punching upward entering the playoffs.

Snellings: I like the play-in and how it has generated more excitement and opportunity for success for the teams at the bottom of the standings. We're looking at scenarios in both conferences in which one preseason championship contender and another team featuring a former MVP both seem destined for the play-in. Outstanding theater. If I had to change one thing, I'd make the matchup between the loser of the 7-8 game and the winner of the 9-10 game in a best-of-three series. This would (a) take some of the potential flukiness out of the last playoff slot, and (b) allow the seventh seed to get a bit more rest before the playoffs begin. That rest could prove vital this season for teams like the Lakers and Celtics, for example, if the current seeding holds true.

Boston's loss also clinched a playoff berth for the New York Knicks, who are in the postseason for the first time since making the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2013.

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Lakers: Host Houston on Wednesday. Los Angeles will unveil its 2019-20 championship banner before the game. Miami Heat Rugs

The college basketball national championship game between Gonzaga and Baylor is tonight, and the topic of Colorado's new sports betting market is broached. Charlotte Hornets Rugs