From The Sports Desk: NBA playoff push

We’ve got two key NBA games tonight on NBC and Peacock with playoff implications and teams hoping to get right before the postseason begins next month.

We’ve got two key NBA games tonight on NBC and Peacock with playoff implications and teams hoping to get right before the postseason begins next month. Plus, two of our reporters give an early look at the Sweet 16.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic face off tonight (8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock) in a battle of teams with seasons that have so far been varying levels of disappointing.

The Cavaliers were a juggernaut last year, only to become a victim of the Indiana Pacers’ magical playoff run. Cleveland has been pretty solid after a slow start, but the fact that the team traded All-Star guard Darius Garland for James Harden is a clear indicator that the team knew the status quo would not be enough. Will Harden, who has a checkered postseason history, be enough to get the Cavs over the top?

The Magic, meanwhile, were supposed to be one of the teams that could enter the Boston Celtics-shaped vacuum at the top of the East. Instead, the Celtics are in second with Jayson Tatum having missed most of the season, while Orlando is fighting for its life in play-in territory. The Magic also took a big swing for their title hopes, trading for guard Desmond Bane before the season. The results have been mixed.

Ultimately, both Cleveland and Orlando entered this year with high expectations, and the gambles they’ve taken on their rosters indicate neither will be satisfied with another short playoff appearance.