Only three weeks remain in the NBA's regular season.
Some teams are in a race toward the top.
Others are dashing in the opposite direction.
The reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder have the best record in the league, but others are nipping at their heels.
And the middle of the postseason picture in each conference is muddled and will not be settled anytime soon.
What should each team really focus on over the final month of the season? The Athletic's NBA staff weighs in.
ATLANTA HAWKS Make the playoffs: The Hawks are one of the league's hottest teams, after an 11-game win streak, and they may still make an appearance in their fifth straight play-in tournament.
But the play-in need not be a bad thing if the Hawks survive it.
Reaching the first round and winning a game or two while they're there would be good proof of concept for this post-Trae Young core heading into next season.
Finishing seventh or eighth in the Eastern Conference would guarantee the Hawks two shots at making the playoffs, including at least one at home.
-- JOHN HOLLINGER BOSTON CELTICS Get Jayson Tatum in rhythm: Tatum has surpassed my expectations since returning from a torn Achilles tendon.
His production and mobility have been promising.
However, his shooting is still down over limited action so far.
The Celtics will probably need more from him during the playoffs.
-- JAY KING BROOKLYN NETS Lose more games: The Nets are "high lottery pick or bust" this season, and they need to use the rest of the regular season to make sure the odds are in their favor.
Things are very competitive atop the Tankathon standings.
But it's not impossible for the Nets to finish with the worst record in the league, which would guarantee a choice no lower than No.
5, which is still a very good place to be in what is expected to be a deep lottery group.
-- MIKE VORKUNOV CHARLOTTE HORNETS Make the playoffs: This might have been a wild thing to say before the season, but the Hornets are one of the more interesting teams this season and could be punchy if they get to the postseason.
They have a chance still to avoid the play-in tournament, and that would be something to shoot for.
The Hornets have not made the playoffs since 2016, and this would be a capstone to a fun and surprising season.
-- MIKE VORKUNOV CHICAGO BULLS Evaluate the remaining young talent: These Bulls found fewer things to look forward to when they purged the roster at the trade deadline.
Their focus shifts to June's draft and perhaps making lemonade out of refurbished lottery picks.
If they are going to see who's worth keeping during this next iteration, young players including Leonard Miller and Jaden Ivey will need to see the court.
Not only will the Bulls get decent data on which positive assets they might have accrued, but they should be set up to lose valiantly, which ought to be the priority.
-- JOEL LORENZI CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Stay interested: This is a "tough" stretch for Cleveland because there isn't much danger that the Cavs will fall below the No.
The schedule down the stretch is mostly easy.
So the challenge is to play well enough and win enough to remain in fourth or possibly sneak into the No.
3 seed, while avoiding injury and otherwise not losing too much focus before a monumentally important postseason in which the team's general direction is at stake.
-- JOE VARDON DALLAS MAVERICKS Tank into the bottom six: The Mavericks owe their first-round draft pick to the Charlotte Hornets in 2027, and their 2028 first-rounder is tied up in a pick swap with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Because the Mavericks lack future draft control, they must find a difference-maker in this year's draft to put next to Cooper Flagg.
If Dallas could secure the sixth-worst record in the NBA, it would enter the draft lottery with a 37.2% chance of leaping into the top four.
-- CHRISTIAN CLARK DENVER NUGGETS Get fully healthy: We all know what Nikola Jokic and his Nuggets are capable of when at full strength.
But Denver has spent the vast majority of this season trying to keep up with the West pack while being severely short-handed.
The return of Aaron Gordon is the most important piece of them all, but the Nuggets need Peyton Watson fully healthy, too, if they are going to improve their woeful defense.
-- SAM AMICK DETROIT PISTONS Shore up defensive slippage: While the Pistons' 108.8 defensive rating this season is stellar, their defense has slipped considerably since the All-Star break.
Detroit will need to find ways to shore up straight-line drives, limit open 3-pointers and tighten its transition defense.
The Pistons must do that without star Cade Cunningham, who is out with a collapsed lung.
-- HUNTER PATTERSON GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS Get to the playoffs: The Warriors' season has been filled with all kinds of injuries and drama.
They lost Jimmy Butler for the year with an ACL injury and Stephen Curry for months because of a knee problem.
There was also uncertainty around Jonathan Kuminga before he was traded and replaced by Kristaps Porzingis, which brought a whole new injury concern.
If the Warriors can overcome all of that and still find a way through to the first round, then coach Steve Kerr and his players deserve a lot of credit.
-- NICK FRIEDELL HOUSTON ROCKETS Get Alperen Sengun back on track: The Rockets have been one of the more frustrating teams in the West over the past few months because of their lackluster production on offense and inconsistency.
A major part of their shortcomings has been Sengun, their All-Star center, failing to consistently perform at an All-Star level.
Houston has turned instead to the 37-year-old Kevin Durant over and over again to bail it out.
If the Rockets have any chance at making a deep run, they need Durant and Sengun to perform at an All-NBA level.
-- WILLIAM GUILLORY INDIANA PACERS Keep Pascal Siakam healthy: Indiana has dealt with injuries throughout the season -- one many chalked up to being lost without star Tyrese Haliburton -- but Siakam has been a constant.
Averaging 23.8 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, Siakam was an All-Star this season.
Now in the homestretch, the Pacers just need Siakam to end the season on a healthy note so they can prepare to be whole again for 2026-27.
--SHAKEIA TAYLOR LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS Sustain the blueprint: The Clippers, who started the season at 6-21 and are now around .500, are playing fast, decisive, unselfish basketball that uses its pressure-applying talent in multiple lineups.
There is more to do as the Clippers hope to get healthy and stay healthy.
But they have already shown that they can be a threat while led by Kawhi Leonard and new point guard Darius Garland.
-- LAW MURRAY LOS ANGELES LAKERS Figure out the big three: The best Lakers basketball this season has not been played with their best players all on the court.
Ironing out the awkwardness that still exists on both sides of the ball when Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and LeBron James are all healthy needs to be at the top of the team's priority list....
