East Playoff Picture: Pistons in, Wizards out, big game for Hawks

- The Wizards were eliminated from the playoff race with the loss.

- The Pacers failed to clinch the final playoff spot, and eliminate the Bulls, with a loss to the Raptors and dropped to eighth place.

- The Heat lost control of its seeding with a loss to the Magic.

- The Celtics defeated the Bucks to set up the huge game with the Hawks.

The idle Hawks remained third in the East. The Celtics have the same record but are fourth because the Hawks currently hold the tiebreaker with a 2-1 edge head-to-head. If the Celtics win tonight, that would even the series and push the tiebreaker to conference winning percentage for a two-team, non-division opponent deadlock. The Celtics would clinch that scenario over the Hawks with a win should the teams remain tied at the end of the regular season. The Hawks final home game of the regular-season has become very important.

The Heat and Hornets, who defeated the Nets, remain a game back in the fifth and sixth spots. The Hawks own the tie breaker over the Hornets but not the Heat.

Here’s a look at the current playoff picture in the East:

c - Clinched Central Division

a - Clinched Atlantic Division

x - Clinched playoff berth

Eliminated from playoffs: Washington, Orlando, Milwaukee, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia

Remaining games

Cavaliers: at Bulls, vs. Hawks, vs. Pistons

Raptors: at Knicks, vs. 76ers, at Nets

Hawks: vs. Celtics, at Cavaliers, at Wizards

Celtics: at Hawks, vs. Hornets, vs. Heat

Heat: vs. Magic, at Pistons, at Celtics

Hornets: at Wizards, at Celitcs, vs. Magic

Pacers: vs. Nets, vs. Knicks, at Bucks

Pistons: vs. Heat, at Cavaliers

Bulls: vs. Cavaliers, at Pelicans, vs. 76ers