In the East, the Sixers won on Saturday, which is a good thing because both the Cavaliers and Pacers picked up hard-fought wins Sunday. That leaves those three teams where we found them at the end of last week: as the Nos. 3, 4, and 5 seeds. Cleveland has 29 losses, Philadelphia has 30, and Indiana has 31.
NBA playoff picture: The Wizards’ cupboards are bare
Come back soon, John Wall.
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Wizards, meanwhile, really need John Wall back. The cupboards are bare, so not only isn’t Everyone Eating, but no one is. The Wizards lost to Trey Burke and the Knicks on Sunday. Washington now has 33 losses, and is in danger of falling into the No. 7 or 8 slot.
Meanwhile, the Bucks climbed over the Heat once again as Milwaukee won and Miami lost Sunday. Here’s the current East bracket:
Raptors (1) vs. Heat (8)
Sixers (4) vs. Pacers (5)
Cavaliers (3) vs. Wizards (6)
Celtics (2) vs. Bucks (7)
The Western quagmire had an eventful weekend. On Saturday, the Timberwolves lost. This was aggravated by big upset wins for the Clippers and Jazz Sunday. But then the Blazers beat the Thunder and the Spurs lost to the Bucks. What a mess!
The upshot is nothing has changed ... for now. The bracket is the same as we left it last week. But with the exception of Portland in the No. 3 slot — that win over OKC gives them breathing room — everything is tighter. The Thunder, Pelicans, and Spurs are all knotted with 31 losses. The Wolves and Jazz each have 32. The Nuggets (still No. 9) have 33. The Clippers have 34.
Here’s the bracket.
Rockets (1) vs. Jazz (8)
Thunder (4) vs. Pelicans (5)
Blazers (3) vs. Spurs (6)
Warriors (2) vs. Timberwolves (7)
Out: Nuggets (9), Clippers (10)
Monday has just one really important game — Nuggets at Sixers (7 p.m. ET, NBA TV) — and one other team, the Wolves, in a competitive playoff race in action.
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