With the Miami Heat leading the Eastern Conference by 12 games and on a 25-game winning streak, everyone else in the East is playing for second. And with a win Saturday coupled by an Indiana Pacers (43-27) loss, the New York Knicks (42-26) have moved into a second place tie.
NBA playoff picture: Knicks slip by Pacers for East No. 2
The Knicks win and the Pacers loss help New York climb to No. 2 in the Eastern Conference standings.
USA TODAY Sports
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The Pacers have played two more games than the Knicks, but have both one more win and one more loss, so both teams trail Miami by the same number of games. If the playoffs started now, the team in second place would play the struggling Boston Celtics, who have lost four straight. The team that finishes third would play the Chicago Bulls. Here are the complete Eastern Conference standings:
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | CONF | DIV | STREAK | L10 |
| 1 xy-Miami | 54 | 14 | 0.794 | - | 31-3 | 23-11 | 31-9 | 10-1 | W25 | 10-0 |
| 2 x-New York | 42 | 26 | 0.618 | 12 | 24-10 | 18-16 | 27-13 | 8-6 | W4 | 5-5 |
| 3 x-Indiana | 43 | 27 | 0.614 | 12 | 28-8 | 15-19 | 29-16 | 12-3 | L1 | 5-5 |
| 4 x-Brooklyn | 40 | 29 | 0.580 | 14½ | 22-14 | 18-15 | 29-14 | 9-4 | L1 | 6-4 |
| 5 Atlanta | 38 | 31 | 0.551 | 16½ | 22-13 | 16-18 | 23-17 | 10-5 | L1 | 5-5 |
| 6 Chicago | 37 | 31 | 0.544 | 17 | 19-16 | 18-15 | 27-13 | 8-6 | W1 | 4-6 |
| 7 Boston | 36 | 33 | 0.522 | 18½ | 24-10 | 12-23 | 22-18 | 7-5 | L4 | 4-6 |
| 8 Milwaukee | 34 | 34 | 0.500 | 20 | 18-16 | 16-18 | 22-21 | 7-9 | L2 | 4-6 |
| Philadelphia | 26 | 42 | 0.382 | 28 | 20-17 | 6-25 | 15-25 | 7-8 | L2 | 3-7 |
| Toronto | 26 | 44 | 0.371 | 29 | 17-18 | 9-26 | 15-26 | 3-11 | L4 | 3-7 |
| Washington | 25 | 44 | 0.362 | 29½ | 18-17 | 7-27 | 12-29 | 5-9 | L1 | 6-4 |
| Detroit | 24 | 47 | 0.338 | 31½ | 15-21 | 9-26 | 20-23 | 6-7 | W1 | 1-9 |
| Cleveland | 22 | 47 | 0.319 | 32½ | 13-21 | 9-26 | 16-24 | 3-11 | L5 | 2-8 |
| Orlando | 18 | 52 | 0.257 | 37 | 10-26 | 8-26 | 8-34 | 2-9 | L6 | 2-8 |
| Charlotte | 16 | 53 | 0.232 | 38½ | 10-25 | 6-28 | 13-27 | 5-8 | L1 | 3-7 |
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