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The Celtics were off Monday, but with less than a week left in the regular season, each night is important for the East standings. They got further clarity when it comes to the race for the No. 2 seed. The C’s can no longer get the No. 1 seed, so even though the Pistons lost to the Magic, it doesn’t matter at the top of the East.
The Knicks beat the red-hot Hawks on the road, which was huge to keep them alive for the No. 2 seed. New York is now 2.5 games back of Boston in the standings. While the C’s are still in a strong spot to secure second place in the East, they still have some work to do in their final four games.
Here’s a look at the current East standings:
| Place | Team | Wins | Losses | Games back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 1 | Detroit Pistons | 57 | 22 | -- |
| No. 2 | Boston Celtics | 53 | 25 | 3.5 |
| No. 3 | New York Knicks | 51 | 28 | 6 |
| No. 4 | Cleveland Cavaliers | 50 | 29 | 7 |
| No. 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 45 | 34 | 12 |
| No. 6 | Toronto Raptors | 43 | 35 | 13.5 |
| No. 7 | Philadelphia 76ers | 43 | 36 | 14 |
| No. 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 43 | 36 | 14 |
| No. 9 | Orlando Magic | 43 | 36 | 14 |
| No. 10 | Miami Heat | 41 | 37 | 15.5 |
The Celtics and Knicks meet in New York on Thursday, so that game could end up mattering. The Knicks will have the tiebreaker over the C’s no matter what happens Thursday, so all they need to do is tie Boston in the standings. However, the Celtics need any combination of two wins or two Knicks losses to secure the No. 2 seed.
The Knicks also have a tough schedule coming up aside from the Celtics game. They face the Raptors and Hornets to close out the regular season, two teams still vying to dig themselves out of the play-in tournament. So both teams will have every incentive to win while the Knicks ready themselves for a playoff run. The Celtics get the Hornets, Pelicans and Magic in their other three games.
- BETTING: The over/under is set at 221.5 total points on BetMGM for Tuesday’s matchup between the Celtics and the Hornets. Our comprehensive BetMGM Sportsbook review provides an in-depth guide on how to use their site.
Notably, the Cavs are also one game behind the Knicks in the standings. But it’s looking like Cleveland is content with landing the No. 4 seed for the East playoffs. The Cavs have rested key guys over the last couple nights to make sure they’re healthy for the postseason. New York has the tiebreaker over Cleveland, as well.
The bottom of the East standings are jam-packed after Monday’s games. The Hawks have separated themselves for the No. 5 seed, but they still need to finish the regular season strong to secure a playoff spot. Four teams are separated by just 0.5 games for the No. 6 seed between the Raptors, 76ers, Hornets and Magic. The Heat could also be a factor, though they’ve lagged behind in recent weeks.
As of now, the Celtics would face the winner of the 7-8 play-in tournament game in the first round of the playoffs. But there’s still a lot of uncertainty as the teams look to try and secure the No. 6 seed, the final automatic playoff spot. The NBA regular season ends Sunday with all 30 teams in action.
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