Celtics Clinch Playoff Spot On Their Off Night
BOSTON (CBS) -- As the Celtics enjoyed their off night on Tuesday, the team clinched a spot in the NBA playoffs.
It looked more likely that their magic number would hit zero on Wednesday night, but the Detroit Pistons lost to the Brooklyn Nets and the Chicago Bulls fell to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday night, securing the C's spot in the postseason.
At the moment, the 45-26 Celtics are the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games ahead of the Washington Wizards. Boston is two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for the top seed in the conference.
If the playoff started today, the Celtics would take on the 35-35 Milwaukee Bucks in the first-round, who are a half-game up on the Miami Heat for the seventh seed. The Celtics won their only tilt against the Bucks so far this season, a 112-108 overtime win in Milwaukee back on January 28. The Celtics will host the Bucks twice in the final two weeks of the regular season, including their final game before the playoffs on April 12.
The Celtics host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, who currently sit in the sixth seed in the East. The Pacers are just one game up on the Bucks, so there is still a lot to be decided over the final three weeks of the regular season.
Tune in to Celtics-Pacers on 98.5 The Sports Hub -- the flagship station of the Boston Celtics! Pregame coverage begins at 7pm!