NBA playoff picture: Pacers fall behind Knicks in race for No. 2

The Indiana Pacers were handled easily by the Miami Heat on Sunday, and in the process, fell a half-game behind the New York Knicks for the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks and Pacers are both currently well behind the Heat for the top spot in the East, with the Knicks sitting 8½ games back. Miami has won 18 games in a row and is peaking heading down the stretch run.

Behind New York and Indiana, the Brooklyn Nets are making a bit of a push. The Nets have won three straight games and sit just two games back of the Pacers in the fourth spot.

There’s currently a log jam at the fifth through seventh spots, with the Chicago Bulls holding a half-game lead over both the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks. The Milwaukee Bucks are holding strong in the eighth slot, and are poised to potentially make a run upward in the standings.

Here are the full East standings:

• RIP Brandon Knight: DeAndre Jordan’s dunk of the year

• Are advanced stats good for fans?

• Deron Williams: Hot as fish grease

• J.R. Smith gets hot but can’t save Knicks

• Who’s your pickup comparison?

• Royce White talks with SB Nation blog The Dream Shake