NBA final-day roundup: 65-game eligibility, Play-In and playoff pushes and more

Atlantic76ersCelticsKnicksNetsRaptorsCentralBucksBullsCavaliersPacersPistonsSoutheastHawksHeatHornetsMagicWizardsSouthwestGrizzliesMavericksPelicansRocketsSpursNorthwestJazzNuggetsThunderTimberwolvesTrail BlazersPacificClippersKingsLakersSunsWarriorsScores & ScheduleStandingsThe Bounce NewsletterNBA DraftPodcastsFantasyNBA OddsNBA PicksTracking Awards EligibilityHot Seat WatchPlayoff Matchups As Of TodayInside NBA Sneaker CultureNBA final-day roundup: 65-game eligibility, Play-In Tournament, playoff pushes and moreThe Hornets clinched a Play-In Tournament berth and will face the Heat in the first round of the Play-In. Jordan Bank / Getty Images Share full articleThe Toronto Raptors tried to win on Sunday, and the Boston Celtics always try, no matter the night. As a result, the Eastern Conference’s playoff picture shifted substantially on the final day of the regular season. The Raptors began the day as the East’s sixth seed, but, playing all of its regulars, defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 136-101. Scottie Barnes posted a triple double with 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. The Celtics, the surprise No. 2 seed because they missed Jayson Tatum for most of the year and parted with three key veterans from its championship roster two years ago, used the same depth they relied on all year to stun the Orlando Magic, 113-108. Baylor Scheierman, a second-year wing who normally comes off the bench, started and lit up the Magic for a career-best 30 points Reserve center Luka Garza’s 3-pointer with 31.7 seconds effectively sunk the Magic. The Atlanta Hawks, meanwhile, entered the day as the No. 5 seed but chose to sit most of their regulars against the Miami Heat and lost, 143-117. The Hawks’ strategy cost them. Because Orlando lost and the Raptors won, Atlanta fell to No. 6 and will play the No. 3 New York Knicks in a first-round series. Toronto moved up a spot, to No. 5, and will play the No. 4 Cleveland Cavaliers in a first-round series. Atlanta was led by Buddy Hield, who came off the bench for 31 points. The Heat had something to play for, too, and though they didn’t quite get there, were victories behind 26 points from NBA top sixth man candidate Jamie Jaquez, and 25 from Bam Adebayo – who scored 83 points in a game earlier this season against Washington for the second-most points in league history. “Whoever we play is going to be really good,” Atlanta coach Quin Snyder said ahead of Sunday’s loss. “It’s hard to even try to figure that out. It’s possible that certain teams want to play us … Wherever it falls is how it falls.” The Philadelphia 76ers, who started the day in eighth place, pounded Milwaukee, 126-106, and leap frogged the Magic, who fell to eighth. Philadelphia will host Orlando in a Play-In game this week; the winner will move on to face the Celtics in a first-round series. The other Play-In will feature the No. 9 Charlotte Hornets against No. 10 Miami. The winner of that game plays the loser of Philadelphia-Orlando, with the winner advancing to a first round series against the No. 1 Detroit Pistons. The Hornets earned the right to host the Heat by beating the Knicks, 110-96. The only Knick starter to play at all was Mikal Bridges, who was on the court for 23 seconds to extend his consecutive games streak to 638 – the NBA’s longest active games streak. Charlotte hosts Miami at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Sixers host the Magic at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The entire Western Conference played in games that started at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the conference’s No. 3, 4, 8 and 9 seeds up for grabs. Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, of the Oklahoma City Thunder, was held out of his team’s final game, ending any chance he had to catch Luka Dončić of the Lakers for the NBA’s scoring title. Gilgeous-Alexander was last year’s scoring champ, but finished this season averaging 31.1 points to Dončić’s 33.5 points. Gilgeous-Alexander might very well hold onto his MVP trophy for another season – Dončić can’t take that away from him. In a weird twist, the 64 games Dončić played this season are enough for him to qualify as scoring champ, but below the required 65 games for him to be eligible for MVP or most other regular-season awards. It was a strange season like that – one the league will be glad to leave behind. There were too many instances of big names not being healthy enough to play, of players and coaches effectively kicked out of the league for gambling charges, of teams purposefully trying to lose, and of an entire franchise accused of rigging a no-show job for its star player to circumvent the salary cap. The NBA still requires players to appear in 65 games for most postseason award eligibility. Dončić, who suffered a hamstring injury on April 2, just one game shy of qualifying, Detroit star Cade Cunningham, whose suffered a collapsed lung after 61 games played and wound up playing 64, LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Stephen Curry were among the superstars who couldn’t meet the threshold. Nikola Jokić, a three-time MVP who led the NBA in rebounds and assists per game, and enjoyed the best statistical season of his career, was expected to play Sunday to reach 65 games and become eligible for the awards. The players’ union is looking for the rule to change; commissioner Adam Silver has said he thinks the rule is working. “When you’re talking about greatness and legacy, those awards matter,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You understand the intent of the rule, but this guy has worked, sacrificed and played through injury. He just had one that he couldn’t overcome, obviously. I feel like he should still be recognized, but it’s one of those things that I know he’ll look back on and when he’s retired and you look at all the things he’s accomplished. It is a big deal.” “Tanking,” or front offices and coaching staffs rigging lineups and rotations to create the best chance for their teams to lose games so they have the highest odds for a good draft pick, was so rampant this season that Silver is seeking to end the practice all together. The Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers were fined for tanking; the Sacramento Kings were investigated for it (but cleared). The Washington Wizards set the NBA record for 20-point losses, while trading for stars Anthony Davis and Trae Young. Davis never played for Washington, and Young barely played; but they’re both on the roster for next season, and the Wizards, with the NBA’s worst record, is one of three teams with the best odds to land the No. 1 pick. The Pacers, who finished with the second-worst record and have the same odds as the Wizards, traded for center Ivica Zubac. The Jazz, which were tied for the fourth-worst record, traded for Jaren Jackson Jr. The trading and stashing by teams trying to lose was part of what pushed Silver to act. Before the season even started, the LA Clippers were accused of circumventing the salary cap for a multi-million-dollar marketing contract Kawhi Leonard received in 2022 from a major team sponsor. The NBA continues to investigate allegations that the Clippers arranged the deal for Leonard with now-bankrupt environmental firm Aspiration. And after just two nights of the regular season, the Department of Justice unveiled major gambling-related charges against Trailblazers coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Lakers assistant (and LeBron’s former personal shooting coach) Damon Jones. Billups did not coach this season, and Rozier didn’t play (he was waived by Miami on Friday), and the federal court cases are ongoing. Almost as an aside, the NBA is focused on expanding in the U.S., considering placing two additional franchises in Las Vegas and Seattle – while critics of the league (and also, coaches like Golden State’s Steve Kerr) say 82 games are too many. Silver is also working to start an entirely new league in Europe. There was rampant, unending speculation that Antetokounmpo would be traded by February. That didn’t happen, but the same noise will crank back up this summer. The Giannis talk was matched, or trumped, by the “will he or won’t he” speculation about LeBron’s possible retirement after this season – his 23rd. For the next three months, hopefully, all the focus in the NBA will be on who is on the court, and who is winning. Thank goodness the postseason is finally here. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Joe Vardon is a senior NBA writer for The Athletic, based in Cleveland. Follow Joe on Twitter @joevardon