The Indiana Pacers (49-30) travel to face the New York Knicks (52-27) at 3 p.m. Sunday, needing a win to keep alive their slim hopes of tying the Knicks for second place in the Eastern Conference. A win would give the Pacers a 3-1 advantage in the season series and a tie-breaker over the Knicks, but the Pacers would have to win their final three and have the Knicks lose their final three to finish in a tie.
NBA playoff standings: Pacers, Bulls in critical seeding situations Sunday
The Pacers and Bulls are trying to avoid losing seeding position as the regular season winds down.
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More importantly for Indiana, the Pacers are trying to hold off the surging Brooklyn Nets for third place in the East. Brooklyn trails Indiana by just two games and has won four straight.
The Chicago Bulls are also in a competitive race for seeding position as they play on the road against the Miami Heat at 1 p.m. Sunday. The Bulls trail the Atlanta Hawks by just a half game for fifth place in the East. The Bulls are also trying to avoid finishing in a tie with the Boston Celtics. Boston trails Chicago by 2.5 games. If the Celtics win their final two and Chicago loses its final three, they will finish tied.
Here are the complete Eastern Conference standings:
| EASTERN CONFERENCE | W | L | PCT | GB | HOME | ROAD | CONF | DIV | STREAK | L10 |
| 1 z-Miami | 63 | 16 | 0.797 | - | 35-4 | 28-12 | 38-11 | 14-1 | W5 | 8-2 |
| 2 y-New York | 52 | 27 | 0.658 | 11 | 29-10 | 23-17 | 35-14 | 10-6 | W1 | 9-1 |
| 3 y-Indiana | 49 | 30 | 0.620 | 14 | 30-10 | 19-20 | 31-18 | 13-3 | L1 | 6-4 |
| 4 x-Brooklyn | 47 | 32 | 0.595 | 16 | 24-15 | 23-17 | 34-15 | 11-4 | W4 | 7-3 |
| 5 x-Atlanta | 44 | 36 | 0.550 | 19½ | 25-15 | 19-21 | 29-21 | 11-5 | W2 | 5-5 |
| 6 x-Chicago | 43 | 36 | 0.544 | 20 | 23-17 | 20-19 | 32-17 | 9-7 | L1 | 5-5 |
| 7 x-Boston | 41 | 39 | 0.512 | 22½ | 27-13 | 14-26 | 27-23 | 7-8 | W1 | 5-5 |
| 8 x-Milwaukee | 37 | 43 | 0.462 | 26½ | 21-19 | 16-24 | 24-28 | 7-9 | L4 | 3-7 |
| o-Philadelphia | 32 | 47 | 0.405 | 31 | 22-18 | 10-29 | 20-29 | 7-9 | W1 | 5-5 |
| o-Toronto | 31 | 48 | 0.392 | 32 | 19-20 | 12-28 | 19-30 | 3-11 | W2 | 5-5 |
| o-Washington | 29 | 51 | 0.362 | 34½ | 22-19 | 7-32 | 15-35 | 5-11 | L4 | 3-7 |
| o-Detroit | 28 | 52 | 0.350 | 35½ | 17-23 | 11-29 | 24-26 | 8-8 | W3 | 5-5 |
| o-Cleveland | 24 | 55 | 0.304 | 39 | 14-26 | 10-29 | 18-31 | 3-13 | L3 | 2-8 |
| o-Orlando | 20 | 60 | 0.250 | 43½ | 12-28 | 8-32 | 10-40 | 3-12 | L1 | 2-8 |
| o-Charlotte | 19 | 61 | 0.238 | 44½ | 13-26 | 6-35 | 16-34 | 6-10 | W1 | 3-7 |
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