The Raptors beat the exhausted Celtics on Wednesday, all but sewing up the No. 1 seed in the East after some late intrigue in the last couple weeks. Toronto needs just one more win or Boston loss to claim No. 1. The Celtics, meanwhile, cannot fall below the No. 2 seed. So those seeds are basically set, as we had thought they were like a month ago.
NBA playoff picture: Kyle Kuzma is trying to ruin the Spurs’ season
And you thought the West playoff race couldn’t get any tighter. Ha!
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The 76ers extended their win streak to 12 by beating the Pistons. Philadelphia remains tied with Cleveland in the loss column at 30. The Sixers can overtake Cleveland for the No. 3 seed with a head-to-head win over the Cavaliers on Friday. Note Cleveland plays against the Wizards on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, TNT); a Cavs’ loss would move the Sixers into No. 3 early.
The only other East playoff team in action Wednesday: the Heat, who beat the Hawks easily. That kept Miami in the No. 6 slot. With one more Pacers win, the Heat, Bucks, and Wizards will be capped at the No. 6 seed — Indiana is exceedingly likely to be the No. 5 seed, with an outside shot at claiming No. 4.
Here’s the current playoff bracket in the East.
Raptors (1) vs. Bucks (8)
Sixers (4) vs. Pacers (5)
Cavaliers (3) vs. Heat (6)
Celtics (2) vs. Wizards (7)
In the West, only the Pelicans and Spurs were in action. New Orleans righted its ship with a breezy win over Memphis. (A 30-spot for E’Twaun Moore!) The Spurs, meanwhile, got Kuzma’d.
Those results mean there’s now a four-way tie for the No. 5 seed in the loss column: San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and New Orleans all have 34 losses. Utah is one game ahead in the No. 4 slot with 33 losses, and Denver is one game back with 35. The Clippers are an additional game back.
This final week is going to be awful sticky. Here’s the current bracket.
Rockets (1) vs. Pelicans (8)
Jazz (4) vs. Spurs (5)
Blazers (3) vs. Thunder (6)
Warriors (2) vs. Timberwolves (7)
All six Thursday games have playoff implications. The Pacers can clinch at least No. 5 with a win over Golden State. The Cavs could slip to No. 4 if they lose to the Wizards. Portland can make its magic number for the No. 3 seed just one if they beat Houston. Milwaukee, LA, Denver, Minnesota, and Utah are all in action too — Nuggets vs. Wolves (10:30 p.m. ET, TNT) is just huge.
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