For all the games that we have been calling the most important of the season, tonight might actually be it (at least until the next one). With five teams clustered around the 4-8 spots in the Western Conference, every game is essential in order to try to rise up through the rankings, as well as to make sure that you do not lag behind to the point where the Clippers or Nuggets can snag the 8th seed.
No one wants to fall to that 7-8th range and have to play the Rockets or the Warriors, as it is relatively clear that those two teams are heads and shoulders above everyone else.