Knicks-Heat headlines weekend in the NBA

The New York Knicks finally pulled the trigger on the big trade that has brought them their supposed savior, Carmelo Anthony. Now the Knicks are expected to become instant contenders in the Eastern Conference - and they immediately get a chance to prove that one way or another when they head to South Beach on Sunday to take on the favorites in the East, the Miami Heat (8 pm Eastern, ESPN).

Also this weekend around the Association the Chicago Bulls visit Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on Saturday night (8:30 pm Eastern, WGN), and the Boston Celtics are out in LA to play Blake Griffin and the Clippers (10:30 pm Eastern). Sunday, in a game matching playoff hopefuls, the Phoenix Suns visit the Indiana Pacers (noon Eastern). Then, in a showcase game featuring two of the top teams in the West, Kobe Bryant and the two-time defending champion Lakers visit Oklahoma City to run with Kevin Durant and the Northwest-leading Thunder (2:30 pm Eastern, ABC). Also, the Charlotte Bobcats, trying to make a run at the playoffs, visit the Orlando Magic (6 pm Eastern). In a Southwest Division battle the Memphis Grizzlies visit the league-leading San Antonio Spurs (7 pm Eastern). And in a national TV nightcap the Portland Trail Blazers, who got Brandon Roy back this week, host the Atlanta Hawks (10:30 pm Eastern, ESPN).

Milwaukee was expected to contend for the Central Division title this season but instead has struggled mightily. And after losing in New York on Wednesday night the Bucks now sit 13 games under .500 overall and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, 4.5 games behind eighth-seeded Indiana.

Chicago, meanwhile, welcomed back Joakim Noah on Wednesday night after he missed two months with a thumb injury - but the Bulls fell in Toronto 118-113 as 9-point favorites on the oddsmaker.ag NBA betting line. Still, Chicago leads the Central by 12.5 games and owns the three seed in the East.

The Lakers rallied to win in Portland on Wednesday night, but while they lead the Pacific by 10 games they're also eight games back of conference-leading San Antonio in the West.

OKC, meanwhile, fell to the Spurs on Wednesday night 109-105. But the Thunder, the current three seed in the West, are only 2.5 games back of the second-seeded Lakers.

In the only meeting so far this season between these two teams the Lakers beat the Thunder 101-94 in LA a little more than a month ago. Los Angeles shot 50% from the floor that night, held OKC to 43% shooting, and covered the spread as 4.5-point favorites at oddsmaker.ag. That game also played UNDER its total of 203.

New York won its first game with 'Melo and Chauncey Billups, topping the Bucks on Wednesday night 114-108. So the revamped Knicks own the six spot in the East, four games back of fifth-seeded Atlanta and two games up on seventh-seeded Philadelphia, as they begin their push toward better things.

In the wake of the big trade oddsmaker.ag had adjusted its odds on the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference this season to +800, and New York is now getting +1,500 at Oddsmaker to win the NBA championship this spring.