INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers clinched a playoff berth on Tuesday without even playing a game.
A loss by the Atlanta Hawks to the Portland Trail Blazers means the Pacers, who had already guaranteed themselves at least a spot in the play-in round, can finish no worse than sixth in the Eastern Conference. They’ll avoid the NBA’s play-in round entirely.
With seven games left in the season, the Pacers are 44-31. They’re currently fourth in the East, with the surprising Detroit Pistons sitting two games back and the reeling Milwaukee Bucks three games back.
The Blue and Gold play five of their last seven games at home. Overall, the schedule would appear to be favorable, with upcoming matchups against lottery-bound teams Charlotte, Utah and Washington.
But it’s not all lottery teams. The Pacers will face playoff-bound Denver on the road and seventh-place Orlando at home. They’re also staring down a home-and-home series against Cleveland, which boasts the best record in the Eastern Conference at 60-15.
This marks the second year in a row that the Pacers have made the postseason. Last year, the team snapped a three-season playoff drought by finishing sixth in the Eastern Conference.
They advanced to the conference finals after beating the Bucks in the first round and outlasting the Knicks in a seven-game series in the second round. The season ended after the eventual world champion Boston Celtics swept them in the Eastern Conference Finals.
If the playoffs started today, the fourth-seeded Pacers would host the fifth-seeded Pistons in a first-round series.
The play-in tournament tips off on April 15. The first round is set to start on April 19.