On Wednesday night in Game 5, Memphis hosts the Clippers and they will try to figure out how to stop Chris Paul and hoping to force Game 6. With two games decided by one point, it has been every bit the rugged series expected and Monday night’s 101-97 wins by Los Angeles in overtime. Guard Mike Conley said that the Grizzlies would treat this game as the last game.

The Clippers are on the verge of something very rare and special for the franchise. in 2006, the Clippers beat Denver in the first round, and one more win clinches only their second playoff series since the Buffalo Braves relocated to California. On Tuesday night with the mantra “Believe Memphis” applies not just to the team but the entire town, the Grizzlies had less than 1,000 tickets. Still, with Griffin and Paul leading the way, the Clippers are a confident group.

Flying from Los Angeles to Memphis, both the teams took Tuesday off. So far, with the Clippers picking up seven technical fouls and the Grizzlies 6, this series has been a battle royale. Blake Griffin said he knows he must do better and estimates he is racked up 5 1/2 fouls per game. Scoring eight of his 27 points in overtime Monday night, Paul has been a key. Paul also got to the line where he hit all six of his free throws.

Memphis coach Lionel Hollins his Grizzlies to stay poised, be smarter and avoid confrontations that result in technical fouls. The Grizzlies lost Game 5 and returned to Memphis where they closed out the series and advanced. They were 3-1 a year ago in their opening series. In the last postseason, Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph dominated, taking control of the paint. In this series, Randolph often finds himself taking shots from outside late and Gasol has had few, if any, points, late in games. Such physical the Clippers have been in the matches. The All-Star center has had only one this series, although Gasol averaged a double double last postseason.

What needs to be seen is how the Grizzlies play against the Clippers in Game 5. The best NBA betting odds have the Grizzlies and the Clippers.

Before heading off to face a quartet of Southeast Division teams, Detroit (21-36) had won three in a row and five of six. In the opener Friday, the Pistons lost 101-96 to Atlanta before falling by a combined 53 points to Miami and Orlando on back-to-back days.

After shooting 52.1 percent over its previous four games, Detroit hit a combined 38.9 percent from the field in those two defeats. In the first half of Monday’s 119-89 loss to the Magic, the Pistons trailed by as many as 23 points. The Pistons will try to move forward by collecting their fifth straight win over NBA-worst Charlotte (7-49).

In franchise history, the Bobcats’ current 13-game losing streak is tied for the second longest behind the 16-game slide they endured Jan. 16-Feb. 15. On Tuesday, the past three defeats were by an average of 20.4 points, though they were more competitive in Cleveland as point guard D.J. Augustin returned after missing three games with a sore knee. Before falling 103-90, the Bobcats led early in the fourth quarter.

This month, Gerald Henderson scored a team-best 21 points after averaging 11.4 on 36.4 percent shooting in the first five games and Augustin had 16 points and 11 assists. After starting the previous three games in Augustin’s place, Kemba Walker added 20 points off the bench. The rookie, in his last five is averaging 17.0 points and 5.6 assists.

Four days after finishing with a career-high 31 in a loss at Milwaukee, starting forward Byron Mullens was held scoreless. In two career starts against Detroit, he has averaged 19.0 points. This season, Rodney Stuckey scored 29 in his lone start versus the Bobcats, but his status is uncertain. in the first half Monday, he banged knees with an Orlando player and did not return.

The Chicago Bulls (54-20, 22-15 away) have beaten Detroit in 10 straight games. The Bulls haven’t been this dominant against their division rivals since Michael Jordan led them to 19 in a row from April 12, 1993-March 22, 1997.

Derrick Rose has taken Jordan’s place as the Piston killer. He is averaging 24.7 points on 52.9 percent shooting to go with 6.9 assists per game in the nine games he’s played during the streak.

Rose had 10 of the Bulls’ 31 assists in Chicago’s 108-91 win over Minnesota on Wednesday. Carlos Boozer had 24 points and 14 rebounds to notch his second double-double in three games. His production was much needed as Joakim Noah had to sit out with a sprained right ankle. He will be a game-time decision against Detroit.

The Detroit Pistons (26-48, 19-18 home) look like they will miss the playoffs for the second straight year after eight consecutive appearances from 2001-2009. The Pistons are also two losses away from a second straight 50-loss season. The last time they suffered back-to-back 50-loss seasons was in 1993-94 and 1994-95.

Former Bull and current Piston Ben Gordon has yet to win a game against his former team. He is averaging 10.7 points on 37.5 percent shooting in seven losing efforts against Chicago. He is averaging a career-worst 11.8 points per game this season.

Houston (38-35, 16-21 away) moved up to ninth place in the Western Conference thanks to a five-game winning streak March 14-23. The Rockets weren’t able to extend that streak to a season-best six, however, after Sunday’s 125-119 loss to Miami. They are currently 2 ½ games behind eighth-place Memphis with nine games left on the schedule.

The Rockets lost Sunday’s game despite their superb play on the offensive end. Luis Scola, Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry each had at least 20 points and they connected on 48.3 percent of their field goals and 85.7 percent of their free throws. In the end, the Heat’s All-Star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh was too much for them as each of them scored at least 30 points.

New Jersey (23-49, 18-18 home) doesn’t represent the same challenge as Miami, but the Nets have a decent home record and are determined to end their nine-game skid to the Rockets. They come into Tuesday’s game having lost six of their last seven overall, but they have won five of their last seven home games.

The Nets trailed by as many as 30 points in Saturday’s 98-87 loss to Atlanta. They outscored Atlanta 26-16 in the final quarter and Anthony Morrow had 10 of his 25 points in the fourth, but the deficit was ultimately too big to overcome as Atlanta pulled out the victory.

Despite Washington’s quest to win a second straight, Portland (40-30, 24-10 home) is heavily favored in the matchup. The Trail Blazers are one of eight teams with 10 or fewer home losses and the Wizards, with just one road win, are the owners of the worst road record in the league.

The Trail Blazers are coming off of a devastating loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. They held the lead for much of the second half but succumbed to the clutch play of Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher in the fourth quarter. Nacolas Batum led the way with 25 points, and LaMarcus Aldridge chipped in 18 points and 6 rebounds. Prior to the loss, Portland had averaged 108.3 points on 50.8 percent shooting in a three-game winning streak.

Washington (17-51, 1-31 away) ended a six-game skid with Sunday’s 98-92 win over New Jersey. Rookie point guard John Wall had 26 points, eight assists and six rebounds in the win. It was Washington’s second win in 15 games since the Wizards recorded their only road win, 115-100 over Cleveland on Feb. 13.

Wall is averaging 18.7 points since the All-Star break. Fellow rookie Jordan Crawford, who joined the team in a trade-deadline deal, is averaging 20.5 over his last six.

The Trail Blazers may be without center Marcus Camby when the Wizards come to town. He left Sunday’s game early with a sprained ankle and he is questionable for Tuesday’s game.

The Spurs are 11.5-point ATS favorites with the total at 200.5.

This will be the last time that these two teams meet this season and the Spurs are looking for a season sweep over the Pistons. If the Spurs win, this will be the first time they have swept Detroit in four years.

The San Antonio Spurs (51-12) have used a great home record of 29-3 to try and distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the West. They currently have a five game lead over Dallas, who is in the second spot.

Tim Duncan looks to improve his game after having a career low average of 13.2 points per game. He was also held to only 2 points against the loss to the Lakers.

Detroit will look for the help of Tayshaun Prince, rookie center Greg Monroe, and Rodney Stuckey to help slow down the Spurs. In Detroit’s win against Washington, Stuckey had 19 points and Prince poured in 20. Rookie Greg Monroe added 12 points and 7 rebounds to help out the team.

Against the Spurs, however, Stuckey has averaged only 8.7 points per game which is the lowest he has against any opponent. Not only that, the Pistons are currently averaging only 90 points per game on the road which puts them at 29th in the league.

While there were a lot of trades that happened before the deadline, none seemed as promising as the one that the Thunder made in order to acquire Nate Robinson and Kendrick Perkins from the Celtics. Oklahoma City was in need of a true big man and they seem to have found it in Perkins. He gives the team the backcourt presence that they need to be able to match up against other big Western Conference teams like the Los Angeles Lakers. He gives them some true size and depth.

Aside from that trade, the Oklahoma City Thunder (39-22) are still always a threat when having both Westbrook and Durrant on the floor. They have won their last three games and look to have found a good rhythm with their offense. They have the advantage over Philadelphia in both scoring and assist leaders with Durrant averaging 28.1 points per game and Westbrook with 8.4 assists.

The Philadelphia 76ers (32-30), however, have been the surprise of the season and are still in the hunt for a playoff spot despite not having any big name stars on the roster. Elton Brand has played well as of late and the team has been playing incredibly well at home.

While Oklahoma City is the favorite to win, anything can happen with this Philadelphia team, especially when they are fueled by their home crowd.

On Thursday, the Denver Nuggets (36-26, 10-19 away) will visit the Utah Jazz (32-29, 17-14 home) for the first time since both teams were prominently involved in the trade deadline. Denver dealt All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony to New York on Feb. 22 in a three-team, 13-player deal. A day later, Utah sent All-Star point guard Deron Williams to New Jersey in exchange for Devin Harris and rookie Derrick Favors.

Denver has won four of five and is averaging 107.0 points per game since trading Anthony. The Nuggets are second in the Northwest Division and have moved to within 1 ½ games behind Oklahoma City.

The Nuggets were at their best in Wednesday’s 120-80 rout of Charlotte. Seven players scored in double-digits and they collected a season-high 34 assists. Wilson Chandler, brought over in the Anthony deal, led the way with 16 points.

For Utah, not a lot has changed since trading Williams. The Jazz were 7-15 in their final 22 games with Williams and they have lost three of four since making the deal. They are allowing an average of 107.3 points in the four games since Williams left.

The Jazz nearly upset Boston on Monday before ultimately falling 107-102. Al Jefferson had one of his best games since joining Utah, scoring 28 points and grabbing 19 rebounds. After the game, they signed coach Ty Corbin to a multiyear contract less than a month after he replaced Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan.

The Miami Heat (43-17, 22-6 home) went 9-3 in February. All three of the Heat’s losses in the month came against teams that will likely be Eastern Conference playoff teams. They are coming off of a 91-86 home loss to New York on Sunday in which they blew a 15-point lead.

In the last meeting between the Florida rivals, LeBron James exploded for 51 points with 23 coming in the opening quarter. He also added 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Heat won 104-100. They led by as many as 23 points before Orlando made a frantic rally in the last six minutes to make things interesting.

The Orlando Magic (39-22, 15-13 away) fell to 1-2 against Miami in the season series with the aforementioned 104-100 loss on Feb. 3. Dwight Howard had 17 points and 16 rebounds in the losing effort, but he only had one point after halftime and was 3 for 13 from the free throw line.

The Magic are on the verge of their first winning streak of four or more games since they won nine in a row Dec. 23-Jan. 8. They are coming off of a 116-100 win over New York on Tuesday. Howard had 30 points and 16 rebounds to help his team overcome a 58-47 halftime deficit. Jameer Nelson played an important role in the comeback, scoring 23 of his 26 points in the second half.

Williams is expected to make his debut for New Jersey (17-40, 4-25 away) on Friday. The Nets acquired him shortly after losing out on Carmelo Anthony earlier in the week. To get Williams, New Jersey had to give up Devin Harris, rookie Derrick Favors, two first-round draft picks and $3 million in cash.

“Very rarely are you able to trade for someone who is arguably the best at his position,” Nets coach Avery Johnson said. “We had to give up a lot, but when you get a chance to get him, you go for it. It wasn’t a planned trade.”

Although Williams certainly adds some spark to the Nets lineup, the odds are certainly stacked against them going into Friday’s game. New Jersey has one of the worst road records in the league and hasn’t won in San Antonio since Jan. 22, 2002. The Spurs have the league’s best record and have not lost at home in nearly three months. A win Friday would give the Spurs their first 20-game home winning streak since Nov. 11, 1989-Feb. 6, 1990.

San Antonio (47-10, 26-2 home) improved its home record to 26-2 with Wednesday’s 109-105 win over Oklahoma City. Tony Parker had 20 points and Gary Neal came off the bench to score 19.