NBA Playoffs: Pacers, Wizards, Bulls, All Close in Standings
There were several games with playoff implications during Thursday's NBA games, including the Pacers' (31-35) win over the Hawks (37-31) and the Wizards' (31-36) win over the Raptors (27-40).
The Pacers beat the Hawks 133-126, and the Wizards beat the Raptors 131-129 in overtime.
The win for the Wizards keeps them just 0.5 games behind the Pacers for the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference, and the Wizards have also won seven out of their last ten games.
However, if the Pacers had lost to the Hawks, the Wizards would have surpassed them, overtaken the ninth seed, and pushed the Pacers back to the tenth seed.
The win for the Pacers was huge, but the Raptors' losing was also significant because if the Raptors had won and the Pacers had lost, the Raptors would be just 2.5 games behind the Pacers.
Instead, the Raptors are now 4.5 games behind the Pacers with just five games left in their season.
While the Wizards are on the Pacers' heels and could easily pass them, the Pacers will have to fend off the Bulls (27-39) to make the playoffs and hold onto the final playoff seed (if the Wizards overtake them).
The Bulls remain four games behind the Pacers, and both teams have six games left to play.
The Wizards and Pacers have their critical matchup on Saturday, and the Bulls play the Celtics on Friday.
An absolute disaster for the Pacers would be a Bulls win on Friday, and a loss to the Wizards on Saturday that will push them back to the tenth seed, and have the Bulls loom only three games behind.
