The Hawks moved closer to clinching home-court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs with a big win over the Celtics Saturday night. With two road games left on their schedule, the Hawks have a one-game lead over the Celtics (tiebreaker), 1-1/2 game lead over the Heat (no tiebreaker) and Hornets (tiebreaker). The Hawks, Heat and Hornets are still vying for the Southeast Division title.
The Bulls staved off eliminated with a win over the Cavaliers Saturday. The victory prevented the Cavaliers from clinching the No. 1 seed in the conference and the Pacers from getting the final playoff berth. The Bulls must win their final two games and the Pacers must lose their final three games to avoid elimination.
There are three games Sunday with playoff implications with the Hornets at Wizards, Nets at Pacers and Magic at Heat.
Here is a look at the current playoff picture in the East:
Eliminated from playoffs: Washington, Orlando, Milwaukee, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
y - Clinched division
x - Clinched playoff berth
Remaining games
Cavaliers: vs. Hawks, vs. Pistons
Raptors: at Knicks, vs. 76ers, at Nets
Hawks: at Cavaliers, at Wizards
Celtics: 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: at Pelicans, vs. 76ers
