Every Monday, we look back over the previous week of NBA action and put five teams under the microscope as we grade their recent performances.
As the race for playoff positions and seeding hots up, find out who is primed for a postseason run and who is fading under pressure?
Philadelphia 76ers (45-25, Week 22 record 3-0) Grade - A
Joel Embiid is back and so are the Philadelphia 76ers.
Their All-Star center returned from an eight-game absence at the end of week 21 to help snap a two-game losing streak with a win over the Indiana Pacers, and the Sixers haven't looked back since.
A routine win at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers followed, albeit without Jimmy Butler, who sat out for a 'planned rest', before head coach Brett Brown was able to roll his full starting five out against the Sacramento Kings.
The rarely seen unit of Ben Simmons, JJ Redick, Butler, Tobias Harris and Embiid each scored 18 points or more, as the Sixers displayed the offensive variety that could make them such a threat in the playoffs.
The same five then produced perhaps the best win of the Sixers' season on Sunday evening, as Embiid's 40 points - helped by 27 from Butler - inspired a road victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Not only was the victory significant in the context of the Sixers jostling with the Pacers and Boston Celtics for third place in the Eastern Conference, but if they are to make it out of the East, they may well need to go through the Bucks.
To overcome the Bucks on a night when Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 52 points will provide a major confidence boost for the Sixers should they return to Milwaukee come the postseason.
Sacramento Kings (34-35, Week 22 record 1-3) Grade - B-
Due to the spectacular nature of the Los Angeles Lakers' collapse from Western Conference playoff contention, the Sacramento Kings' similarly sudden downturn has gone somewhat under the radar.
Having won the admiration and support of many NBA followers as they defied low expectations to surge into the playoff race, the Kings have gone 3-9 since the All-Star break to sit six games back from eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers.
Two of those three wins have come against the New York Knicks, and the other - their only win of week 22 - against another tanking Eastern Conference team, the Chicago Bulls. The losses came on the road to the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
While the poor run has admittedly come during a tough run of games and the losing margin has never been in double figures, it has been somewhat of a reality check for those who thought playoff basketball was coming to Sacramento this year.
It wasn't all negative for the Kings in Week 22 though. Rookie Marvin Bagley III returned from a five-game absence with a knee injury to perform impressively against the Celtics and Sixers, before scoring 21 in the rout of the Bulls.
Bagley's progression has been one of the most encouraging aspects of the Kings' season, with the 20-year-old showing the sort of potential that could justify Sacramento's decision to take him with the second pick in last year's draft.
New Orleans Pelicans (30-42, Week 22 record 0-3) Grade - E
The New Orleans Pelicans' season somehow managed to reach a new low in Week 22.
With three home games - against the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns - on the schedule, there was plenty of reason to believe the Pelicans could end the three-game losing streak they entered the week with.
After disappointing but understandable defeats to the playoff bound Bucks and Blazers, it looked as though the losing streak was over as the Pelicans held the ball and a three-point lead over the Suns with seven seconds left in overtime.
However, they turned over possession with a five-second violation, conceded a three-pointer and then head coach Alvin Gentry called a timeout - when the Pelicans had none remaining - to earn a violation and send the Suns to the free-throw line.
Gentry accepted responsibility for his mistake following the game, but by that point the Pelicans were the holders of a league-worst six-game losing streak.
All this occurred in the shadow of Anthony Davis' continued limited involvement, as the All-Star sat and watched the chaos unfold from his fourth-quarter seat on the bench.
Denver Nuggets (46-22, Week 22 record 3-0) Grade - A-
The Denver Nuggets bounced back from a somewhat disheartening defeat to the Golden State Warriors with a perfect week as they took advantage of a friendly schedule, which saw the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers visit the Pepsi Center.
Jamal Murray's 30 points inspired a blowout win over the Timberwolves, but things were to get significantly more tricky from there.
Nikola Jokic made his play of the season to snatch victory from the jaws of a defeat with a buzzer-beater against the Mavericks, before Paul Millsap hit a game-winner with seven seconds remaining two nights later against the Pacers.
There are two ways of looking at these dramatic Nuggets victories. One is that coming through tight late-game situations is the perfect preparation for the playoffs.
The less positive slant is that their inability to swat away the likes of the Mavs and Pacers at home is indicative of shortcomings that will see them exposed come the postseason.
Despite the Nuggets remaining just a game back from the Warriors at the top of the Western Conference, their lack of playoff experience means the doubters will remain until they're proven wrong.
Brooklyn Nets (36-36, Week 22 record 1-3) Grade - B-
Having looked as though they were cruising into the Eastern Conference playoffs not long ago, the situation has swiftly become extremely uncomfortable for the Brooklyn Nets.
They embarked on a seven-game road trip - their longest of the season - with a four-game winning streak behind them, but three defeats may have them wondering where their next victory is coming from.
The Nets gave up a 10-point half-time lead to lose at the Oklahoma City Thunder, got blown out by the Utah Jazz and then suffered an agonising defeat at the hands of a Lou Williams buzzer-beater for the Los Angeles Clippers.
As a result the seventh-place Nets are now just a game-and-a-half ahead of the Miami Heat, with the Orlando Magic only a game further back in ninth.
With trips to the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers and Philadelphia 76ers to come before they return to New York, the Nets urgently need to stop the bleeding.
Not only are their playoff hopes in danger, but if they are to make a splash in the postseason, they are going to need to perform on the road against one of the East's big four teams.