After Clippers' buzzer-beating OT win, here's how the NBA playoff picture shapes up
Well, that didn't go quite like we expected.
With the Los Angeles Clippers resting most of their top players, it seemed like the Utah Jazz were in position to secure a much-needed win. Instead, the Jazz, who entered the night 1.5 games ahead of the Rockets for the eighth seed in the Western Conference, ended up falling 102-99 in overtime thanks to Cole Aldrich and Jamal Crawford.
The former came up with consecutive big plays on either end of the court at the end of regulation to force overtime (as well as a career-high five steals):
Headed to OT thanks to Cole Aldrich! #ColeTrain ?https://t.co/RVkdqmwd5I
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) April 9, 2016
Then on the final possession of overtime, the Jazz for some reason let Crawford get a clean look, despite having a foul to give. And the two-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year made Utah pay:
"We have all the confidence in the world with our second group," Aldrich said. "We moved the ball and we had a bunch of guys out. We could have just said, You know what? We got six guys out. Let's just get through this one and get home. We fought hard. That's a big thing for our group — getting through those tough times."
It was a crushing loss for the Jazz, what with the opportunity to go up two games on the Rockets with three to play.
"Sometimes we get so aggressive we forget to talk to each other and wind up (giving up) an open shot for the other team," Rodney Hood said.
On the other side of the conference divide, the Detroit Pistons locked up their first playoff berth under coach Stan Van Gundy and eliminated the Washington Wizards from playoff contention in one fell swoop, as Reggie Jackson poured in 39 points in Detroit's 112-99 win over Washington.
The Pistons are the 13th team to clinch a playoff berth this season; many of those squads already know what seed they'll be when the postseason rolls around. Here's a quick breakdown of where we stand with just five days left in the regular season:
Western Conference
The Warriors, Spurs, Thunder and Clippers have clinched the top four seeds, respectively.
The Blazers lead the Grizzlies by a half-game for the fifth seed; both teams have clinched playoff spots. Portland has two games left, against the Wolves and Nuggets, while Memphis plays the Warriors twice and Clippers once. In the event Portland and Memphis should tie, the Blazers hold the tiebreaker (as they would finish the season with a better conference record).
.@trailblazers WAITING FOR THE PLAYOFFS LIKE pic.twitter.com/sdGTz1gHV7
— #TRILLBLAZIN# (@TRILLBLAZIN) April 9, 2016
The Mavs trail the Grizzlies by one game for the sixth seed and are currently two games ahead of the Jazz for the seventh seed. Neither Dallas nor Utah has yet clinched a playoff berth, although the Mavs need just one more win to do so.
Dallas and Utah play each other on Monday. Both teams will be on the second night of a back-to-back, as The Jazz the play the Nuggets on Sunday and the Mavs take on the Clippers. The Jazz then travel to face the Lakers on the final day of the season, while the Mavs host the Spurs on that same Wednesday.
The Rockets trail the Jazz by one game for the eighth seed. Houston hosts the Lakers Sunday, travels to Minnesota on Monday, and finishes the season at home against the Kings on Wednesday. As the Rockets currently hold a better conference record than the Jazz, Utah will likely need to win out in order to clinch a playoff berth — unless Houston manages to once again lose a game against inferior competition.
A look at the playoff race after Friday night's action.#NBAPlayoffRace: https://t.co/tlWDUfyVxt pic.twitter.com/7JVHTEjdqU
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) April 9, 2016
Eastern Conference
The Cavaliers are one win away from clinching the top seed, while the Raptors (three games back of Cleveland) will finish no worse than second.
The Hawks and Celtics are tied for the third seed, and the Heat and Hornets are tied for the fifth seed — just one game back of Atlanta and Boston. The Hornets currently boast the best conference record among the four teams. Of the three Southeast Division teams (Hawks, Hornets, Heat), Miami has the best division record at the moment, which is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head record.
The Celtics are currently 1-2 against the Hawks; Boston has clinched the head-to-head tiebreaker against both Miami and Charlotte with a 2-0 record against either team.
Atlanta and Boston play each other on Sunday night, with the Hawks at home. The Hawks then close the season on the road against the Cavs and Wizards; the Celtics host the Hornets and Heat in their final two games.
On top of their 2-1 record against Boston, the Hawks are 3-1 vs. the Hornets. Atlanta is 1-3 vs. the Heat, however. The Hornets and Heat split their season series 2-2.
The Heat host the Magic on Sunday, play the Pistons in Detroit Tuesday, and finish the year on the road in the aforementioned game against Boston. The Hornets, meanwhile, visit the Wizards on Sunday and Celtics on Monday before a home game to wrap up the season on Wednesday against the Magic.
The Pistons can rise no higher than their current seventh seed and lead the Pacers by a half-game. Detroit hosts the Heat on Tuesday and heads to Cleveland on the last day of the season. Indiana hosts the Nets Sunday and Knicks Tuesday, then plays the Bucks in Milwaukee on Wednesday. If the Pistons and Pacers should end the season tied, the Pistons would take the seventh seed by virtue of a 3-1 head-to-head record.
MOOD pic.twitter.com/IlzLHgbt0C
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) April 9, 2016
The Bulls are technically still in the running for the playoffs, but they trail the Pacers by three games and and would need Indiana to lose out while going undefeated against the Cavs, Pelicans and Sixers.
Got all that? Good, because a lot of it will change tomorrow. And we'll make sure you stay up-to-date.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
