When the Miami Heat last tasted defeat, they were clinging to a half-game lead over the New York Knicks for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Things have taken a dramatic turn since. The Heat will enter Sunday's matinee showdown at Madison Square Garden riding a 13-game winning streak and holding a comfortable 6 1/2-game edge over the Knicks. Miami still has some unfinished business with New York, which has won both meetings between the teams this season - each by a 20-point margin.

The Oklahoma City Thunder have dropped three straight on the road. A setback at the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon would drop them into third place in the Western Conference. The Clippers have won four straight and eight of their last nine to put themselves in position to overtake the Thunder. Chris Paul has handed out 43 assists in the last four contests to pace the offense while the defense has held opponents to 89.5 points.

A night after snapping a seven-game losing streak, the Philadelphia 76ers will try to end a nine-game road skid when they travel to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Philadelphia ended its season-high drought with a 104-97 home win over Golden State on Saturday and sits ninth in the Eastern Conference, but the Sixers are six games behind Milwaukee for the final playoff spot. Philadelphia has won six of the past seven meetings.

The Memphis Grizzlies aim to start a new winning streak when they visit the Orlando Magic on Sunday. Memphis had an eight-game winning streak snapped by the Miami Heat on Friday and figure to get right back on the winning track against an Orlando squad that has lost 30 of its last 34 outings and has the second-worst record in the NBA. The Magic fell 118-110 to the Houston Rockets on Friday despite shooting a season-high 56.4 percent.

The Sacramento Kings can’t be too thrilled that their ownership situation is the most interesting thing about the team right now. The Charlotte Bobcats, who visit the Kings on Sunday, can relate. Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson continues to fight to keep the franchise from moving to Seattle, and introduced a group of bidders for the team this week. The Bobcats own the NBA’s worst record and are regularly overshadowed by their owner, Michael Jordan.

A team clinging to its spot on the right side of the playoff bubble will take on one of the teams trying to take its place when the Houston Rockets host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday in the front end of a home-and-home set that concludes Wednesday in Dallas. The Rockets will have to snap a nine-game losing streak against Dallas to avoid loosening their grip on the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings. Dallas has won four straight meetings in Houston.

The San Antonio Spurs will be without standout point guard Tony Parker for approximately a month, beginning with Sunday’s contest against the visiting Detroit Pistons. Parker sprained his left ankle during Friday’s victory over the Sacramento Kings and an MRI exam on Saturday confirmed he suffered a Grade 2 sprain. Parker is averaging 21 points and 7.6 assists. Detroit has lost four of its last five games after losing to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday.

A pair of Eastern Conference playoff contenders square off when the Indiana Pacers host the Chicago Bulls in a key Central Division matchup Sunday night. The Bulls endured a rough February but have won two straight after a 96-85 home win over Brooklyn on Saturday that kept them within three games of the Pacers for the division lead. The Pacers have taken control of the division by winning six of their last seven, and they're coming off a 93-81 win at Toronto on Friday.

The Los Angeles Lakers take another swipe at reaching the .500 mark when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The Lakers haven’t been at .500 since late December and reaching the break-even mark is the first barrier they need to knock down as they chase down a Western Conference playoff berth. Atlanta is locked in a tight battle with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls for the fourth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.