The Charlotte Bobcats will seek their fifth consecutive home win against the Toronto Raptors — and a bit of payback for last week's loss in Toronto — when the struggling teams square off Wednesday. It's the second meeting in less than a week, as the Raptors claimed a 92-78 home win Friday and lead the season series 2-1. The Bobcats have won the past four meetings in Charlotte dating to March 29, 2010.

LeBron James would not let the Miami Heat lose on Monday, guiding his team to its 23rd straight victory. If they want to make it 24, the Heat will need to get by James’ former team as they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. Miami is all alone in second place for the longest winning streak in NBA history after passing the 2007-08 Houston Rockets on Monday. Next up is the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers at 33 games in a row.

The New York Knicks are being racked with injuries as they battle the Indiana Pacers for second-place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will be without center Tyson Chandler (back) and Kurt Thomas (foot) when they host the Orlando Magic on Wednesday and forward Carmelo Anthony (knee) is questionable and could miss his fourth straight game. With frontcourt players Amar’e Stoudemire (knee) and Rasheed Wallace (foot) done for the season, New York’s depth is depleted.

If the Milwaukee Bucks are going to climb out of the No. 8 spot in the Eastern Conference — and avoid a dreaded first-round date with the Miami Heat — they need to take advantage of several upcoming opportunities to knock off other playoff contenders, starting Wednesday with a road contest against the Atlanta Hawks. The Bucks are safely entrenched in the eighth spot, but they're just two games behind Chicago and Boston for sixth and 2 1/2 in back of fifth-place Atlanta.

Two of the hotter teams in the Western Conference square off Wednesday when the Memphis Grizzlies host the Oklahoma City Thunder. Memphis has won 15 of 18 games and is locked in a tight battle with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers for the third spot in the West. Oklahoma City has won 11 of 14 games and is 1 1/2 games behind the San Antonio Spurs in the competition for the top seed.

The Boston Celtics came within a missed 3-pointer of ending the Miami Heat’s historic run on Monday and may have announced themselves as Eastern Conference contenders in the process. They will be hoping to avoid a letdown when they visit the lowly New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday. The Celtics led by as much as 17 points against the Heat before falling just short 105-103 at home. The road has been a bit tougher for Boston.

The Utah Jazz have not fared well away from home this season. With a playoff berth in the Western Conference within reach, it would behoove them to find a way to reverse their fortunes immediately as they kick off a three-game trip through Texas on Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. Utah trails the Los Angeles Lakers by one game for the final postseason spot in the West and owns a 10-24 road record.

The Brooklyn Nets have been tough away from home, and their road mettle will be tested during an eight-game trek that continues Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks. Brooklyn opened the journey with a 119-82 trouncing of Detroit on Monday for its fifth win in the past seven games. The Mavericks are coming off a 127-113 win at Atlanta on Monday and beginning a six-game homestand.

The Golden State Warriors have won back-to-back road games for the first time since January. If they want to make it three straight, they will have to find a way around the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Warriors are fighting off several teams for the No. 6 spot in the Western Conference and have looked strong in the first two games of the road trip with easy wins at Houston and New Orleans. The Spurs are 28-4 at home.

Two teams far out of the playoff picture square off Wednesday as the Phoenix Suns host the Washington Wizards. Phoenix will be looking to avenge a 127-105 setback in Washington on Saturday that extended its losing streak to four games and snapped its 10-game winning streak against the Wizards. The Suns snapped the skid two days later as they began their four-game homestand with a 23-point triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.

If the Los Angeles Clippers want home court advantage in the playoffs, things will need to change in a hurry. Los Angeles has lost four of its last seven games heading into Wednesday’s matchup against the visiting Philadelphia 76ers, who appear determined to end the season on a strong note. The Clippers dropped into fifth place in the Western Conference after losing 116-101 at Sacramento on Tuesday.