Charlotte — The NBA regular season comes to an end on Sunday, a night that will feature all 30 teams in action. Most teams in the league know their position on the final day of the season, as many will be preparing for the playoffs or finishing a disappointing campaign.
The Detroit Pistons have an opportunity to post a 60-win season as they face the Indiana Pacers in their final game. It is a feat the Pistons have reached only twice throughout their prosperous history. Throughout the season, the Pistons have established themselves as the top team in the Eastern Conference, entering the postseason as the No. 1 seed.
However, when the Pistons leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday night, they will not know who their first-round playoff opponent will be. The final day of the regular season will determine the seeding for the Play-In Tournament, which will establish which team will face Detroit in the opening round. The NBA Playoffs will start on April 18.
The Orlando Magic (45-36) are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference, followed by the Philadelphia 76ers (44-37), Charlotte Hornets (43-38) and Miami Heat, who sit eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively.
All teams are secured in a Play-In position, except for the Magic, who are currently on a five-game winning streak. To avoid the Play-In Tournament, the Magic must defeat the Boston Celtics and have the Toronto Raptors lose to the Brooklyn Nets. As the final day of the regular season approaches, the Raptors hold the No. 6 seed with a record of 45-36 and have the tie-breaker over Orlando.
“The way I feel about this group is just that, I think the sky is the limit when we continue to communicate with each other, talk to each other, know where our bread is buttered,” coach Jamahl Mosley said following the Magic’s 123-107 win over the Pistons on Monday.
“It’s the defensive end of the floor. And then being able to get stops to get out and run and then continuing to trust the pass. The fact that over the last three games, I think we’re averaging close to 31 assists, so they’re sharing and moving the basketball. And then we got to make sure that we just continue to sit down and guard.”
The 76ers will welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to close their regular season at Xfinity Mobile Arena. As a result of the Pistons’ 118-110 victory over the Hornets on Friday night, the 76ers will finish in the standings either as the No. 7 or No. 8 seed. A 76ers and Nets victory would move Philadelphia to the sixth seed. However, any scenario in which the Nets win is highly unlikely.
The Hornets and Heat are competing for home-court advantage in their respective win-or-go-home game. The Hornets will play their final game of the regular season against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The Heat will finish the season against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
Both teams will need to win two Play-In Tournament games in order to secure a playoff spot, likely as the No. 8 seed.
“It’s vital. A lot of the teams I’ve been on previously, when you have homecourt advantage — especially the places I was previously and at Spectrum Center — you can feel the vibe in here, you can feel the juice and an atmosphere,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “When the stakes are really high, it’s good to have that support from your crowd when you come home; you need a little bit of extra juice. Hopefully, we can afford this wonderful fanbase another postseason game.”
The final day of the regular season is turning out to be highly competitive, with significant stakes in the Eastern Conference. While the Pistons are aiming to reach 60 wins, they have little else to play for. However, coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s goal is to ensure his team continues to play to their standards, especially to send a strong message to their four likely playoff opponents.
“We are just trying to play our best basketball,” Bickerstaff said. “You want to go into the postseason feeling confident, understanding your objective and what you are trying to get done. If there are some things we need to clean up, having it on film so we can get better at it next week when we have some playoff practice time.”
Pistons at Pacers
Tip-off: 6 p.m. Sunday, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
TV/radio: FDSN/97.1
Outlook: The Pacers will end arguably their worst season in franchise history against the Pistons on Sunday. They are coming into the game after dropping four of their last five games and holding a 19-62 record, the second-worst in the Eastern Conference.
coty.davis@detroitnews.com
@cotydavis_24
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Pistons Playoffs: Final day of regular season to set up Play-In Tournament bracket
Reporting by Coty M. Davis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
