The Phoenix Suns play host to the Portland Trail Blazers at Phoenix Suns Arena on Thursday.

The Trail Blazers (41-29) are trying their best to hold on to the fifth or six-seed in the west, entering this matchup, winning nine of their last 10 games. The issue is that the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks are right on their heels, and they all desperately want to avoid the play-in tournament. Portland actually was one of the participants in last year's inaugural play-in tourney, and it really showed when they looked burnt out in the first round of the playoffs. The good news is that they carry some good form into the postseason, and it's quite the contender with guys like Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Jusuf Nurkic running the show.

The Suns (48-21) come into this matchup, losing three of their last four games, and it's pretty much shattered any hopes for the best record in the NBA. They now sit 1.5 games back of the Utah Jazz in first, and that's a tough cookie to crack with only three games remaining. Achieving the two-seed is certainly nothing to be ashamed of though, This is a club that many people didn't know what to expect at the beginning of the season but has become one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. What's really unfortunate about that is that they are lined up to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, and that'd be really disappointing to face the defending champs after such an impressive season.

These teams have played twice this season, with Phoenix winning both meetings. Before that, the Trail Blazers won 12 of their previous 14 games over the Suns.