NBA schedule: Rockets-Grizzlies, Clippers-Spurs headline action on Friday

NBA action will once again be bumped from the national stage by NCAA March Madness, but there are plenty of intriguing match-ups scheduled for Friday if you are willing to do some hunting on NBA League Pass. The match-up between the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics could complicate the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, while number of good games out West could shake things up as well.

The best games of the night take place in the Western Conference. The Memphis Grizzlies and Marc Gasol did not look good in their last outing, and they will be put to the test on Friday night against the No. 7 seed Houston Rockets. Next, the Spurs will host the Clippers in a potential second or third-round playoff preview, and San Antonio will get a chance to display their dominance at home this year (31-4 record at home). In other action, the Denver Nuggets will host the Brooklyn Nets. Denver is on a two-game losing streak at the moment and the Grizzlies are just one game back in the standings, so the Nuggets will be hungry for a win.

The obvious choice for late-night viewing is the Utah Jazz game. The Jazz have a chance to pull even with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings when they take on Portland Trail Blazers at the Rose Garden (10 p.m. ET), so expect Lakers fans to follow that action closely.