The Detroit Pistons are on the precipice of locking down a playoff spot, but the wait continued over the weekend.
The Pistons' magic number did not change due to both the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic winning.
With seven games left, the Pistons (42-33) are closing in on securing a playoff berth for the first time in six years. After winning three consecutive games without Cade Cunningham — including Friday's 133-122 upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers — the Pistons dropped Sunday's game against the Minneapolis Timberwolves.
Seven players and coaches were ejected early in the second quarter, including Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff and players Isaiah Stewart, Ron Holland and Marcus Sasser, after a brawl with the Timberwolves' Naz Reid and Donte DiVincenzo spilled into fans sitting in the front row courtside. It's currently unclear if any suspensions will follow.
The Pistons have already tripled their win total from last season, clinched a winning record for the first time in nine seasons. They enter Monday as the fifth seed in the NBA's Eastern Conference playoff race. The top-six seeds are guaranteed a playoff spot, and seeds 7-10 enter the play-in tournament played right after the regular season.
So what is the Pistons' magic number to lock down their playoff spot to complete their miraculous one-season turnarounds?
Let's answer the pressing questions, including what their magic number is:
Pistons magic number to clinch playoff spot
The Pistons' magic number remains two after Sunday's loss. That's two wins, or a combination of Pistons wins and Atlanta Hawks (36-38) losses. The Hawks are the seventh seed with eight games left for them to play. The Pistons won the season series, 3-1, and hold the tiebreaker over the Hawks, who host Portland on Tuesday night and visit the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
The magic number of two also applies to the eighth-seed Orlando Magic (36-39). The Magic won the season series, 2-1, over the Pistons and hold the tiebreaker with seven games ...
