The Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls all grabbed victories on Sunday to keep pace in the crowded Eastern Conference playoff picture. Two and a half games currently separate the three teams in the middle of the East blob.
NBA playoff picture: Nets, Hawks, Bulls all keep pace in East blob
The Nets, Hawks and Bulls all won to keep pace in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Brooklyn currently holds the No. 4 seed, two games ahead of Atlanta and two games behind New York and Indiana.
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The Nets barely got by the Phoenix Suns to stay two games ahead of the Hawks, who nabbed a big road win against the Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 8 seed in the East. Brooklyn is now just two games back of the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers for the No. 2 seed.
The short-handed Bulls won their second straight game by defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road. Chicago is currently the No. 6 seed, a half game behind Atlanta and two games ahead of the struggling Boston Celtics. The Celtics have lost four in a row, but they remain in the No. 7 slot because the Bucks have lost three games in a row.
And then there's the streaking Miami Heat, who are 12½ games up and on the verge of clinching the conference. Here are the full East standings:
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