The Charlotte Hornets will try to become the next team to take advantage of the Chicago Bulls when the teams tangle Monday night in North Carolina. The Bulls scored nine first-quarter points and just 26 before halftime in an embarrassing 100-80 setback at Boston on Sunday for their season-high fifth consecutive loss.

The Dallas Mavericks were building up a nice head of steam on the way to a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference before tripping up at the end of a homestand on Saturday. The Mavericks will try to pick themselves back up on the road when they visit the slumping Toronto Raptors on Monday.

The Milwaukee Bucks' latest surge has them in the top eight of the Eastern Conference and one win short of reaching .500 for the first time since they were 20-20 on Jan. 16. The Bucks will try to win their seventh straight game and get back to even when they open a six-game road trip by visiting the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

The San Antonio Spurs continue winning despite a rash of injuries, going 10-1 in their past 11 games entering Monday’s home contest against the Atlanta Hawks, and are keeping the top spot in the Western Conference in their sights. The Spurs beat Golden State on Saturday to move within one-half game of the Warriors for first place in the West, despite not having Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge – three of the team’s top four scorers – for the contest.

The Washington Wizards became a factor in the Eastern Conference earlier in the season on the strength of a remarkable run at home, but have taken it to another level on the road. The Wizards try to complete a perfect five-game road trip Monday night at the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Utah Jazz tend to thrive in lower-scoring games, but that formula has not proven successful against the Los Angeles Clippers, their opponent at home Monday night. The Clippers took the first two meetings while holding the Jazz to 75 and 72 points, respectively, two of Utah's three worst offensive showings all season.

A pair of likely lottery-bound teams beginning to play out the string meet Monday in Sacramento as the Kings carry an eight-game losing streak into a matchup with the Orlando Magic. Sacramento is 1-8 since trading away All-Star big man DeMarcus Cousins and 0-2 on its three-game homestand after a 105-92 loss to Denver on Saturday.

The Denver Nuggets are attempting to hold off their competition for the final Western Conference playoff spot and will try to record their sixth victory in the past eight games when they visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. Denver sits 1 1/2 games ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers with 16 games remaining and the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves are also in the mix.