While there is much drama with the Western Conference standings, there is none in the East. All six playoff seeds are set, as well as seeds 7-10 for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. On Tuesday, the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks go on the road to take on the seventh-seeded Orlando Magic. The following day will see the ninth-seeded Chicago Bulls have a home outing against the 10th-seeded Miami Heat. Which two teams will earn spots in the Eastern Conference postseason bracket?
(Spreads listed are from DraftKings SportsBook as of 4/12, 9:30 AM ET.)
Eastern Conference Play-In Is Set, Which Two Will Advance?
#8 Atlanta Hawks at #7 Orlando Magic
The first matchup sees the Orlando Magic (41-40) against the Atlanta Hawks (39-42). While every team in the league plays their regular season finale on Sunday, it means nothing in the standings for these two (as well as the other two in the Eastern Conference play-in). The Magic are listed as five-point favorites.
Both Atlanta and Orlando have been without one of their best players for some time, and neither will return until next season. For the Hawks, forward Jalen Johnson last played on January 23. The 23-year-old has been sidelined with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The Magic have been without star wing defender Jalen Suggs since January 25 after a left knee injury and subsequent knee surgery.
Ironically, these two squads meet up on Sunday for the regular season finale. Expect a lot of key players to rest in preparation for Tuesday’s contest. Orlando and Atlanta have faced each other twice before, both times coming in February. They have split the two matchups with the road team winning each time.
Just like last season, the Magic have played stifling defense while at times struggling to put the ball in the hoop. They have won five straight though, helping to secure the home-court advantage for the 7-8 matchup. The Hawks enter Saturday winners of three of their last four. All three wins have come against teams eliminated from postseason play though.
The winner will be “rewarded” with a first round matchup against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics.
#10 Miami Heat at #9 Chicago Bulls
On Wednesday, the Heat travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls in the 9-10 matchup. The winner of that game will then play the loser of Atlanta/Orlando. Whoever wins that meeting will play the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening round of the playoffs. The Bulls are a slim one-point favorite against the Heat.
The Bulls (38-43) have been playing much-improved basketball of late due in large part to the excellent play of their starting backcourt, Josh Giddey and Coby White. Since moving to a season-worst 14 games under .500 on March 4, Chicago has gone 14-5 in their last 19 outings.
The Heat (37-44) are 8-3 in their last 11 games. They experienced many struggles right after trading Jimmy Butler, but they have at least somewhat righted the ship. This is the third-straight season that Miami has been involved in the Play-In Tournament, and they made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2023.
The Bulls are 3-0 against Miami this season, with all three games having single-digit final margins.
Photo credit: © David Banks-Imagn Images
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