Eastern Conference Playoff Picture: Hawks magic number at nine

C.J. Miles of the Indiana Pacers reacts after Kyle Korver of the Atlanta Hawks hit a 3-point basket at Philips Arena on March 13, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

By Chris Vivlamore

March 18, 2016

The Eastern Conference playoff race got even more crowded following Thursday night’s games.

The Hawks moved into third in the East with their win over the Nuggets and the Hornets win over the Heat. The Hawks are just 1/2-game ahead of the Heat, Celtics and Hornets in the battle for playoff position. The Hawks reduced their magic number to clinch a postseason berth, their ninth straight, to nine games. The Hawks next play home against the Rockets on Saturday, their next to last game against a Western Conference opponet.

Friday games that will affect the East standings are: Celtics at Raptors, Cavaliers at Magic and Kings at Pistons.

Here is a look at how things stand.

Rank	Team	W-L	Pct.	Div.	Conf.	Home	Away	GB	>=.500 (H/A)	<=.500 (H/A)
1	Cleveland	48-19	.716	6-5	27-12	28-6	20-13	-	8 (4-4)	7 (3-4)
2	Toronto	46-21	.687	10-1	31-11	26-8	20-13	2	10 (5-5)	5 (2-3)
3	Atlanta	40-29	.580	7-6	23-18	22-12	18-17	9	8 (4-4)	5 (3-2)
4	Boston	39-29	.574	8-5	26-18	23-12	16-17	9.5	8 (3-5)	6 (3-3)
5	Miami	39-29	.574	8-5	24-19	22-13	17-16	9.5	7 (3-4)	7 (3-4)
6	Charlotte	39-29	.574	7-7	25-15	25-15	13-19	9.5	5 (1-4)	9 (4-5)
7	Indiana	36-32	.529	6-7	23-18	20-12	16-20	12.5	5 (4-1)	9 (5-4)
8	Chicago	34-33	.507	7-5	21-21	22-12	12-21	14	7 (3-4)	8 (4-4)
9	Detroit	34-34	.500	7-6	19-12	19-12	15-22	14.5	8 (5-3)	6 (5-1)
10	Washington	33-35	.485	7-5	24-20	18-17	15-18	15.5	7 (3-4)	7 (3-4)
11	Milwaukee	30-39	.435	4-7	19-22	21-13	9-26	19	8 (4-4)	5 (3-2)
12	Orlando	29-38	.433	3-9	16-22	18-16	11-22	19	12 (5-7)	3 (2-1)
13	New York	28-41	.406	6-7	17-25	16-18	12-23	21	8 (5-3)	5 (2-3)
14*	Brooklyn	19-49	.279	6-8	10-29	12-23	7-26	29.5	9 (4-5)	5 (2-3)
15*	Philadelphia	9-59	.132	2-11	3-40	6-28	3-31	39.5	10 (4-6)	4 (3-1)