Celtics land a couple of layup games after being eliminated from NBA Cup
BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics are not moving on in the NBA Cup. But their consolation prize is a pair of seemingly easy matchups being added to the schedule next week.
The Celtics were eliminated from the NBA's in-season tournament Tuesday night when they lost the point-differential battle for the Eastern Conference's wild card spot. Had the Orlando Magic beat the Knicks or the Knicks beat the Magic by 37 or more points, the Celtics would have advanced.
The Knicks held a 37-point lead at Madison Square Garden late in the third quarter on Tuesday night. They led by 31 heading into the fourth quarter. But New York took its foot off the gas and only won by only 15, so the Magic captured the East's wild card spot and the Celtics are left on the outside looking in. (Had the Knicks won by 37 or more, the Celtics would have played New York in the Quarterfinals.)
With the Knockout Round participants set, the NBA had to figure out two more games for every team that wasn't moving on. That's where Boston lucked out a bit.
Who will Celtics play now that they're done in the NBA Cup?
Each team that didn't advance in the NBA Cup had two more regular-season games added to their schedule in the wee hours of Tuesday night. Those teams were slated for one home game and one away game next week.
The Celtics are one of the best teams in the NBA at 17-4, and somehow managed to land matchups with two of the worst teams in the Association. They'll host the 9-14 Detroit Pistons at TD Garden on Thursday, Dec. 12, and then visit the 2-17 Washington Wizards on Sunday, Dec. 15.
That the Pistons have nine wins on the season is a bit of a surprise. They're currently in Boston to take on the Celtics on Wednesday night, which will be their second of now four matchups this season. The Celtics won their previous tilt in Detroit on Oct. 26, though the Pistons put up a pretty good fight in the 124-118 Boston victory. The Pistons led by six with under four minutes to play, but back-to-back threes by Jrue Holiday tied the game and Jayson Tatum scored eight of his game-high 37 points over the final 2:13 to lift Boston to the road win.
The Wizards are as bad as their two-win record dictates, sporting the worst differential in the NBA at minus-15.8. The Celtics already have two wins over the Wizards this season; a 122-102 victory on Oct. 24 and a 108-96 win on Nov. 22 in NBA Cup play. Both of those games were also at Capital One Arena in Washington DC.
The Celtics would much rather be playing for a chance to head to Las Vegas for the NBA Cup semis and championship tilt, but adding a pair of gimmes (or at least what should be gimmes) to the schedule is a nice bonus. And not advancing gives the Celtics a nice break in the schedule, with just two games next week, after playing five games over a seven-night stretch this week.
