Eastern Conference Playoff Picture: Six key games Wednesday
Wednesday will be another big day in the Eastern Conference with six games on tap involving teams in the thick of the playoff race.
The Hawks seek a meaure of revenge with a quick rematch against the Wizards in Washington, D.C., just two nights after a loss of their home court. The Hawks magic number to clinch a playoff spot remains eight.
The Heat and Hornets both won road games Tuesday night but the results did not change the current standings.
Other key conference matchups Wednesday are Bucks at Cavaliers, Raptors at Celtics, Magic at Pistons, Knicks at Bulls and Heat at Spurs.
Here’s a look at the race:
| Rank | Team | W-L | Pct. | Div. | Conf. | Home | Away | GB | >=.500 (H/A) | <=.500 (H/A) |
| 1 | Cleveland* | 50-20 | .714 | 6-5 | 28-13 | 29-6 | 21-14 | - | 6 (3/3) | 6 (3/3) |
| 2 | Toronto | 48-21 | .696 | 11-1 | 33-11 | 28-8 | 20-13 | 1.5 | 8 (4/4) | 5 (1/4) |
| 3 | Miami | 41-29 | .586 | 8-5 | 25-19 | 23-13 | 18-16 | 9 | 6 (2/4) | 6 (3/3) |
| 4 | Atlanta | 41-30 | .577 | 7-7 | 23-19 | 23-13 | 18-17 | 9.5 | 9 (3/6) | 2 (2/0) |
| 5 | Boston | 41-30 | .577 | 9-6 | 28-19 | 24-12 | 17-18 | 9.5 | 7 (3/4) | 4 (2/2) |
| 6 | Charlotte | 41-30 | .577 | 7-7 | 26-15 | 27-11 | 14-19 | 9.5 | 5 (0/5) | 6 (3/3) |
| 7 | Indiana | 37-33 | .529 | 6-7 | 24-18 | 21-13 | 16-20 | 13 | 3 (2/1) | 9 (5/4) |
| 8 | Chicago | 36-33 | .522 | 7-5 | 21-21 | 24-12 | 12-21 | 13.5 | 6 (3/3) | 7 (2/5) |
| 9 | Detroit | 37-34 | .521 | 8-6 | 23-20 | 22-12 | 15-22 | 13.5 | 9 (6/3) | 2 (1/1) |
| 10 | Washington | 35-35 | .500 | 8-5 | 26-20 | 19-17 | 16-18 | 15 | 6 (3/3) | 6 (2/4) |
| 11 | Milwaukee | 30-41 | .423 | 4-8 | 19-23 | 21-14 | 9-27 | 20.5 | 7 (4/3) | 4 (2/2) |
| 12 | Orlando | 29-41 | .414 | 3-9 | 16-25 | 18-17 | 11-24 | 21 | 9 (4/5) | 3 (2/1) |
| 13 | New York | 28-43 | .394 | 6-7 | 17-26 | 16-19 | 12-24 | 22.5 | 8 (5/3) | 3 (1/2) |
| 14 | Brooklyn** | 19-51 | .271 | 6-8 | 10-31 | 12-24 | 7-27 | 31 | 9 (4/5) | 3 (1/2) |
| 15 | Philadelphia** | 9-62 | .127 | 2-12 | 3-42 | 6-30 | 3-32 | 41.5 | 7 (2/5) | 4 (3/1) |
* - Clinched playoff spot and division
** - Eliminated from playoffs
About the Author
Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.
