Two of the hottest teams in the NBA will square off Sunday afternoon when the Boston Celtics travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder. The Celtics' five-game winning streak is the third-longest active streak in the league behind Miami (17) and Denver (8), and Boston has strengthened its hold on a playoff spot, sitting sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Thunder are in even better shape, boasting the third-best record in the league and sitting second in the Western Conference.

The Los Angeles Lakers have faced a long climb to get back above .500 and in position for a playoff berth. Now they have to stay there. The Lakers will try to preserve their share of the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings when they host the inconsistent Chicago Bulls on Sunday. Chicago has lost four of its last seven but is coming off an 89-88 win over Utah and is clinging to fifth place in the East.

The Toronto Raptors have faded from the Eastern Conference playoff picture with losses in six of their last seven games, but they'll try to get things going back in the right direction when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The Raptors are still tied for ninth in the East, but they've slipped 8 1/2 games behind Milwaukee for the eighth spot. The Cavaliers have been much improved over the past couple of months and have won five of their last nine.

The Philadelphia 76ers will look to halt a disastrous road losing streak when they visit the Orlando Magic on Sunday. The wheels have totally come off for the Sixers, who have dropped four straight and 11 of their last 12 games to plummet out of contention in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has dropped 12 straight away from home, its worst skid since losing 20 straight in 1987-88.

The Miami Heat have bulldozed through every team in their path over the past five weeks but they will still not lack for motivation when they put their franchise-record 17-game winning streak on the line Sunday against the visiting Indiana Pacers. The last team to beat the Heat was the Pacers, who have won both matchups against Miami this season, including a 102-89 victory on Feb. 1 that marked the last time the Heat has tasted defeat.

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off perhaps their most impressive performance of the season but they cannot afford a misstep when they visit the New Orleans Hornets on Sunday. The Trail Blazers ran roughshod over the Western Conference-leading San Antonio Spurs on Friday, rolling up 136 points in a stunning 30-point romp, and now return to the site of one of their most embarrassing losses, when they were trampled by the Hornets 99-63 on Feb. 13.

The Dallas Mavericks look to keep their postseason hopes alive on Sunday when they continue their four-game road trip against the injury-plagued Minnesota Timberwolves, who have dropped seven of their last eight games. Minnesota has won four of the last six meetings against Dallas, which sits three games behind Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers in the race for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Sacramento Kings, who are still trying to figure out their backcourt with 18 games left in the season, might be a little envious when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. Milwaukee guards Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings combined for 57 points in a 103-93 victory over Golden State on Saturday, pulling the Bucks within two games of seventh-place Atlanta in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Los Angeles Clippers have lost their stranglehold on the third seed in the Western Conference, falling a percentage point behind the surging Memphis Grizzlies while the streaking Denver Nuggets are closing in fast. The Clippers will look to exploit what appears to be a favorable matchup when they host the skidding Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. It's the opener of a three-game homestand for Los Angeles that will include matchups against Memphis and the New York Knicks.