CLEVELAND -- With the week the Cleveland Cavaliers have coming up, they can't afford a trap game on Easter.

Now that the Los Angeles Lakers are officially eliminated from postseason play, they'll try to wrap up the final two weeks on a positive note.

TORONTO -- The Toronto Raptors will try to equal a team record of 11 straight wins Friday night when they play the Dallas Mavericks at the Air Canada Centre.

No. 12 North Carolina takes on Syracuse in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Wednesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes bought 150 tickets for kids to see the movie "Black Panther" this week in Dallas.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Dirk Nowitzki will start a game as a 50,000-minute NBA veteran for the first time when the Dallas Mavericks visit the suddenly struggling Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

The Houston Rockets are feeling pretty good about themselves right about now. They're sitting second in the Western Conference and have reeled off three straight wins.

With another Miami starter leaving the game prematurely because of an injury, Wayne Ellington realized he needed to increase his contributions.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Klay Thompson buried three consecutive 3-pointers during a fourth-quarter flurry that finally allowed the Golden State Warriors to pull away from the Dallas Mavericks en route to a 112-97 victory Thursday night.

Kawhi Leonard made his long-anticipated season debut Tuesday night and looked to be in mid-season form.

MINNEAPOLIS -- When Minnesota faced the Dallas Mavericks in two earlier meetings this season, the Timberwolves coasted to a pair of double-digit victories.

Missing two of his top six players, Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens had to dig deep into his bench to take players out of mothballs on Wednesday night.

DALLAS -- The Cleveland Cavaliers rode J.R. Smith's outside shooting and Kevin Love's ninth double-double of the season to turn away a feisty and desperate Dallas Mavericks team 111-104 on Saturday night at the American Airlines Center.

WASHINGTON -- Harrison Barnes scored 31 points as the Dallas Mavericks, owners of the NBA's worst record, upset the Washington Wizards 113-99 on Tuesday night.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Karl-Anthony Towns recovered from the worst offensive performance of his career by scoring 31 points, and Andrew Wiggins added 23 points as the Minnesota Timberwolves cruised to an easy 112-99 victory against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday.