There were some dramatics in the Eastern Conference Friday night.
And some significant movement in the standings to go along with it all.
The Hawks lost an overtime decision to the Cavaliers at home and dropped from third to fifth in the conference playoff seedings. The Heat and Hornets each moved up a spot with wins and are .003 percentage points ahead of the Hawks in the battle for home-court advantage. The Heat and Hornets each have magic numbers of one to clinch a playoff spot. The Celtics snapped the Warriors 54-game home winning streak to jumped right back on the verge of a home series. After the night’s events. just a half-game separate Nos. 3-6.
The Hawks have lost two straight games, to the Cavaliers and Raptors. Those are the Hornets’ next two opponents.
Saturday’s key games in the East are: Pacers at 76ers, Pistons at Bulls, Raptors at Spurs and Heat at Trail Blazers.
Here’s a look at the playoff picture:
c - Clinched Central Division
a - Clinched Atlantic Division
x - Clinched playoff spot
Eliminated from playoffs - Milwaukee, Orlando, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia
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