The Milwaukee Bucks have been squandering a perfect opportunity to avoid the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs. They will be attempting to snap a two-game slide and make up some ground on the seventh-place Boston Celtics when they host the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. The Bucks trail the Celtics by 1 1/2 games for the No. 7 spot and have missed back-to-back chances to take advantage of Boston’s four-game skid.

No lead - or opponent - has been too much to overcome for the Miami Heat, who will go for their 26th consecutive victory when they host the league-worst Charlotte Bobcats on Sunday. LeBron James and the Heat erased a double-digit deficit for the third time in as many games in beating the Detroit Pistons 103-89 on Friday, moving them within eight victories of tying the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers for the longest winning streak in NBA history.

Tony Parker excelled in his first game back and the San Antonio Spurs attempt to complete a four-game sweep of Houston when they visit the Rockets on Sunday. Parker had 22 points in Friday’s overtime victory over the Utah Jazz after missing the previous eight with an ankle injury. The victory allowed the Spurs to maintain their 2 1/2-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the battle for the top spot in the Western Conference.

The rest of the Western Conference is getting away from the Portland Trail Blazers. The Trail Blazers will continue trying to track down a playoff spot when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday. Portland trails the eighth-place Los Angeles Lakers by 2 1/2 games but has won back-to-back contests and is looking for a rare positive road trip. The Thunder are trying to catch the San Antonio Spurs atop the West.

The Chicago Bulls likely will play without star center Joakim Noah once again when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night. If they play the way they did Saturday night at home, it might not be an issue. Without Noah in the lineup due to plantar fasciitis, Chicago topped Indiana 87-84 to keep their slim Central Division crown hopes alive. The win pulled the Bulls within five games of the Pacers with 14 to play.

It's not an elimination game, but both the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks are nearing must-win territory with only 13 games to play. The visiting Jazz will look to halt a three-game losing streak when they visit Dallas on Sunday. Utah is sitting in ninth place in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers for the final playoff slot and one game in front of the Mavericks. Utah has lost the first two legs of its Texas road trip, including an overtime loss at San Antonio on F

The Phoenix Suns are coming off an embarrassing defeat and the visiting Brooklyn Nets seek to bounce back from a close loss when the teams meet Sunday. The Suns have lost six of seven games and suffered a humiliating 117-86 home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Brooklyn is 2-1 on an eight-game road excursion after falling 101-95 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. The Nets are 2 1/2 games behind the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division.

The Sacramento Kings own the league's worst road record, but they will have a chance to exploit an opponent that is equally inept away from home when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday. The Kings have actually been playing some of their best ball and nearly ended Denver's long winning streak before dropping a 101-95 decision Saturday. Philadelphia has lost 15 straight on the road, last winning on New Year's Day.