INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers are closing in on the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference.
After using a late run to beat the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night, the Pacers are 48-31, three games ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks (45-34) with three games left in the regular season.
Indy’s magic number is down to one. That means one more win by the Pacers or one more loss by the Bucks will secure the fourth seed for Indiana.
The Pacers must finish at least one game ahead of Milwaukee to clinch fourth place. That’s because the Bucks won the season series and own the tiebreaker if the teams end up with the same record.
Finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference means the Pacers would host a first-round series in the NBA playoffs. If the postseason started today, they’d play Milwaukee.
The Pacers can finish no worse than fifth in the Eastern Conference. They own a five-game advantage over Detroit, currently in sixth place, and the Pistons can’t mathematically catch Indiana.
The Pacers still have an outside shot at the third seed. They’re two games behind the New York Knicks. If the Pacers win out, and the Knicks lose their last three games, Indiana would finish with a better record and get the third seed.
The Knicks, however, own the tiebreaker, which means one more win by New York or one more loss by the Pacers would secure the third seed for the Knicks.
Pacers remaining schedule
- Thursday, April 10: vs. Cleveland, 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 11: vs. Orlando, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 13: at Cleveland, 1 p.m.
Bucks remaining schedule
- Thursday, April 10: vs. New Orleans, 8 p.m.
- Friday, April 11: at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- Sunday, April 13: vs. Detroit, 1 p.m.
Knicks remaining schedule
- Thursday, April 10: at Detroit, 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 11: vs. Cleveland, 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, April 13: at Brooklyn, 1 p.m.
The Pacers announced on social media that they’ll wear their City Edition uniforms for the upcoming playoffs.