Consecutive home wins have helped the Toronto Raptors regain momentum and maintain their grasp on the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

On Wednesday, the Raptors will aim to stop a road funk as they open a five-game trip with a visit to the Chicago Bulls.

Toronto is coming off Sunday’s 119-108 victory against the East-leading Detroit Pistons, which hinged on a third quarter in which the Raptors limited the Pistons to 7-for-26 shooting.

“I think it’s around that time for things to start clicking defensively, offensively,” Toronto’s Brandon Ingram said. “We went through a little rough patch these previous four games, but we found it.

“We had some conversations. Our communication on the floor has been good, and we’ve been able to fight back when we’ve been down and stay together. So, you know, it’s building.”

Ingram sparked the Raptors with 34 points against the Pistons while Jakob Poeltl (21 points, 18 rebounds) and Scottie Barnes (14 points, 10 rebounds) notched double-doubles.

After facing the rebuilding Bulls, the Raptors will meet teams in Western Conference playoff position in three of their next four games to close the trip. Toronto has lost three straight on the road, and channeling the resilience the team showed Sunday figures to go a long way during this stretch and beyond.

“I thought our competitive spirit was there during the whole game,” Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said, “even when (we) were not making shots (in the) first half. … We just kept fighting, finding the ways.”

Chicago kicked off a four-game homestand in style on Monday, thumping Memphis 132-107 for its most lopsided victory since a 28-point home win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 20.

The Bulls have split their past eight games after an 11-game losing streak, with second-year standout Matas Buzelis building momentum in recent weeks. Against the Grizzlies, he scored a game-high 29 points, including 18 in the third quarter.

Although question marks are swirling about Chicago’s draft lottery odds and the possible makeup of next season’s roster, Buzelis considers it “dangerous” to ponder the future. Which explains why he isn’t.

“I try to focus on what’s in front of me now,” Buzelis said. “I’m not thinking of what this team is going to be. I feel like looking into the future you get anxious. You’ve got to stay in the present and be where your feet are.”

Josh Giddey continues to be a stabilizing force for the Bulls. He contributed 16 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists against the Grizzlies for his 12th triple-double of the season and his fifth in the past seven games.

Tre Jones added 17 points for Chicago for his ninth straight game in double figures. Jones is averaging 17.4 ppg in March, which exceeds his season average of 12.9.

Toronto is seeking a sweep of the three-game season series. Ingram averaged 32 points in two previous Raptors victories — in Toronto on Feb. 5 and in Chicago on Feb. 19.

Giddey is averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists in his past 10 games against Toronto.

–Field Level Media

The hottest team in the NBA looks to make it 11 straight victories when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night.

Atlanta hasn’t won at least 11 in a row since winning a franchise-record 19 straight in 2014-2015.

Granted, Atlanta has played some of the teams in the bottom half of the NBA during this run, but the closest game in this run has been nine points and the streak has catapulted them into a tie for eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, just 1 1/2 games back of fifth place.

Atlanta thumped the Magic 124-112 Monday night, getting a career-high 41 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and a second straight triple-double from All-Star Jalen Johnson.

“Sometimes, you just have nights like this,” Alexander-Walker said. “And I think the focus truly was just about being aggressive at the right time. It was an important game, and I knew that I just had to come out and give my all. That was the only thing on my mind, be aggressive, be myself, try to help the team win.”

Hawks guard CJ McCollum was inserted in the starting lineup Feb. 22 against Brooklyn, the same night the win streak started. McCollum has averaged 18.3 points since coming over to Atlanta from Washington in a trade.

“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, the team has looked different at times,” Johnson said. “But we’ve remained together. That’s allowed us to stack these wins (and) go on a win streak like this. The little things we’ve been doing off the court and in practice, this is the result.”

While Atlanta has been rising, the Mavericks have been sinking in the West. Dallas has lost 10 of its last 12 games and 20 of its last 24.

The biggest positive has been the development of 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg, who has averaged 18.9 points since coming back from an injury March 5.

Dallas just finished a stretch of nine games in nine different cities over a 14-day span. Dallas looked tired in Monday’s loss to New Orleans. The Mavs led by 10 early, but collapsed and fell 129-111.

“Yeah, we were really good there in the first five minutes,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd told Mavs.com. “The ball was moving, P. J. (Washington) was shooting the ball. We had good looks that just didn’t go down for us after that stretch.”

“We were just moving the ball,” said Flagg, who finished with 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals. “I thought we played with great pace out the gate early and I thought the ball had a lot of energy just moving around out there.”

The Mavericks played Monday without Caleb Martinn (foot), Klay Thompson (rest) or Brandon Williams (concussion). Thompson is set to play, while Williams is doubtful and Martin is questionable.

The offense has struggled all season, ranking 24th in the NBA at 113.2 points per game.

Dallas has won four of the last five meetings, but Atlanta downed the Mavericks 124-112 on March 10. Alexander-Walker had 29 points in that win.

–Field Level Media

The playoffs don’t begin for another month, but Wednesday night will have a postseason atmosphere when the Colorado Avalanche host the Dallas Stars in a matchup of the top teams in the NHL.

Colorado has led the league for most of the season but losing three of its last four allowed red-hot Dallas to cut the gap to three points. The Stars won 14 of 15 games before losing at home to the Utah Mammoth on Monday night, their first regulation loss since Jan. 22.

The Avalanche led Dallas by 12 points at that point, but now they are fighting for the Central Division title and home ice throughout the playoffs.

The Stars’ one loss in the previous 15 games came March 6 in a shootout against the Avalanche, who tied it with 15 seconds left in regulation. That increased the Avalanche’s lead to seven points, but things have tightened since.

Dallas had a chance to get within one point but gave up four goals in the third period to the Mammoth in a 6-3 loss. The Stars quickly shifted their focus to Wednesday’s showdown.

“It’s a lot like playoffs right now. You can’t let one game affect the next,” Stars captain Jamie Benn said. “It’s about moving on quickly here and learning from this one. We’ve got a big game coming up here (against Colorado). We want to get two points against those guys every chance we can get. Looking forward to another big game here.”

The Stars have surged despite the absences of Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz and Radek Faksa. Rantanen is the closest to returning but will be out until at least the end of March.

Colorado is also dealing with injuries to key players. Artturi Lehkonen (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (lower body) and Ross Colton (upper body) won’t play against Dallas, and their absences have disrupted the Avalanche’s flow.

Nazem Kadri, acquired from the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline, has played wing on the first line with Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas instead of his natural center position. Colorado dressed only 11 forwards for the past three games, losing the last two.

The Avalanche allowed a season high in goals Monday in a 7-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins scored three goals on their first five shots when Colorado was guilty of missed assignments in its own zone.

“The chemistry matters,” said MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 45 goals and reached 110 points for the fourth straight season. “It’s no one’s fault. It’s just different. New teams, and then a lot of different line combinations lately, for everybody. It’s hard. It sounds like an excuse. (Monday) was just bad, too. We just played bad.”

The Avalanche understand the importance of Wednesday night. Head coach Jared Bednar approached the recent game in Dallas with a playoff mindset, and the third of four meetings will be the same.

The teams finish the season series in Dallas on April 4.

“Everything’s crucial right now,” center Brock Nelson said. “We just (need) a little bounce-back.”

–Field Level Media