Entering Friday’s slate of games, there were plenty of questions that needed to be answered in the East.
But heading into the final day of the regular season Sunday, the standings are set and offer more clarity for the Magic.
The Play-In Tournament in the conference will feature No. 7 Orlando hosting No. 8 Atlanta at Kia Center on Tuesday and No. 9 Chicago hosting No. 10 Miami at United Center on Wednesday.
The winner of Magic-Hawks will claim the seventh spot in the playoffs and face the No. 2 Celtics in the first round. The loser of that game will host the winner Bulls-Heat on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the No. 1 Cavaliers in Round 1.
Elsewhere, the No. 3 Knicks will have homecourt advantage in their first-round matchup with No. 6 Pistons, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The No. 4 Pacers, who Orlando beat Friday in a contest that saw neither team play majority of its regular starters, will meet the No. 5 Bucks for the second year in a row. This time Indiana will get homecourt advantage.
It’s unlikely the Magic and Hawks will roll out their regulars Sunday, too, or add any new wrinkles with their lineups or set plays given the importance of Tuesday’s Play-In matchup.
Paolo Banchero (right ankle soreness), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left knee strain), Wendell Carter Jr. (right hip contusion), and Franz Wagner (right knee soreness) are all questionable.
Regardless of who plays, Orlando and Atlanta will meet a third time in just a week’s time for a chance to secure their spot in the playoffs and avoid an elimination game.
“You start preparing by watching past games, what we’ve done, what they’ve done, the adjustments that need to be made, what we did well, what we need to improve on, and all of those things you’re looking at now,” coach Jamahl Mosley said Friday night. “Being able to get ahead of that not just for this game coming up on Sunday but also the Play-In … knowing what we need to do, how we have to approach the game. The beauty of it and the blessing is being at home in front of our fans.”
That doesn’t mean Friday’s game at Indiana or Sunday’s matinee with the Hawks are entirely meaningless.
In fact, Orlando’s win against the Pacers meant plenty for two-way guard
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