Now that the New York Knicks have locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Pacers will try and stave off the Brooklyn Nets for the No. 3 seed. The Pacers need just one win or one Nets loss to clinch that No. 3 seed.
NBA playoff picture: Pacers need 1 win to clinch No. 3, Bulls and Hawks locked in battle
The Pacers’ magic number to clinch the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference is just one. Meanwhile, the Hawks hold a one-game lead over the Bulls for the No. 5 seed.


Brooklyn had a chance to make things really interesting on Sunday after Indiana lost to New York at Madison Square Garden. But instead of pulling to within one game of the No. 3 seed, the Nets disappointingly fell to the Toronto Raptors.
With the Nets likely finishing with the No. 4 seed, the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls are duking it out for the right to travel to Brooklyn to open first round. The Hawks currently hold a one-game lead over the Bulls after Chicago fell to the Miami Heat on Sunday.
The Hawks finish with the Raptors and Knicks, while the Bulls have games against the Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards. Chicago holds the tiebreaker against Atlanta.
The rest of the East playoff picture is locked in. Here are the standings:
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