The New York Knicks topped the Milwaukee Bucks on the final day of the NBA regular season, placing them in second place and earning the Playoff home court factor in the eventual Conference Semifinals as well. The Knicks defeated the Chicago Bulls in OT thanks to a super performance by Jalen Brunson, who scored 40 points with 8 rebounds and 7 assists, while the Bucks lost narrowly on the court of the Orlando Magic (another team forced to win to avoid the Play-in).
This overtaking was the only one of the day for the Eastern Conference, while Orlando, Indiana, and Philadelphia all won and all finished tied, on 47-35. Magic and Pacers will be #5 and #6 on the Playoff board because of head-to-head matchups (and because Orlando won its Division), while the Sixers will have to go through a difficult Play-in against Miami.
This is the final standings:
- Boston Celtics 64-18
- New York Knicks 50-32
- Milwaukee Bucks 49-33
- Cleveland Cavaliers 48-34
- Orlando Magic 47-35
- Indiana Pacers 47-35
- Philadelphia 76ers 47-35
- Miami Heat 46-36
- Chicago Bulls 39-43
- Atlanta Hawks 36-46
- Brooklyn Nets 32-50
- Toronto Raptors 25-57
- Charlotte Hornets 21-61
- Washington Wizards 15-67
- Detroit Pistons 14-67*
The Pistons have one less game because they are engaged against San Antonio tonight, but either way they will finish 15th even if they win.
Play-in pairings will be Philadelphia vs. Miami and Chicago vs. Atlanta: the loser of the first confrontation will play against the winner of the second one for the #8 spot in the grid, then a first round against Boston. The first two Play-ins will be played on the Italian night between Thursday and Friday.
In the first round of the NBA Playoffs instead we will have:
Boston vs. the winner of the second Play-in
New York vs. the winner of the first Play-in
Milwaukee vs. Indiana
Cleveland vs. Orlando
Milan, Italy. A graduate in Labor Management and Communication for Organizations from Catholic University, I founded BasketUniverso in 2011. Yes, I root for Orlando Magic and do my best not to hide it.
