What remains at stake for Celtics in playoff and draft picture?

The Celtics took a very big step towards securing the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference on Friday night by winning their third straight game, a convincing blowout over the Pacers in Indiana. Despite the positive stretch and likely matchup with the Pacers in the first round of the postseason, there is still plenty of variables left in play over the final four days of the regular season. What doors are open for Boston when it comes to seeding? What about the draft? Let's take a closer look at what you should be watching closely in the final week of the year.

The No. 3 seed is still in play for Celtics but it's a long shot

The Sixers seemingly had this spot wrapped up a couple weeks ago after beating Boston at the Wells Fargo Center in a game marred by Marcus Smart's ejection. However, the Sixers have been reeling since then, dropping four of their last five games overall before beating the Bulls on Saturday night in Chicago

The end result is the Celtics remaining just two games behind the Sixers with two games remaining for both squads. The magic number (Sixers win or Celtics losses) for Philadelphia to clinch the No. 2 seed is just one, but if Boston wins out, things could get a bit interesting on the final night of the regular season, even though an easy opponent (Chicago) awaits Philadelphia.

The magic number for the No. 4 seed is one for Boston

It's pretty simple right now what the Celtics need to do to ensure they have homecourt advantage in the first round. A win over the Magic or Wizards in the next three days or a loss by the Pacers in either of their final two games will lock the Pacers into the fifth seed. Based on this, the Celtics will be playing all of their regulars on Sunday night against the Magic, a game that should have a playoff-like intensity with the Magic fighting for a postseason spot. A win there or a Pacers loss on Sunday night against the Nets will let Brad Stevens give all of his veterans or ailing players an extra night of rest in the season finale on Tuesday in Washington.

All eyes should be on the lottery race and the Grizzlies pick

The Grizzlies start Sunday in position to have their pick convey to the Celtics for the 2019 NBA Draft (No.9 overall, pick is top-8 protected) but that could change in the next four days. Three other teams remain bunched in the No. 6-9 spots all within one game. One win or loss could swing the odds in a major way for all of these teams at this point, so the Celtics brass will be rooting hard for wins by the Mavs, Pelicans and Wizards to close out the season, while also hoping the Grizzlies lose out.

Current standings

6. Dallas (31-48)
7. New Orleans/Washington (32-48)
9. LA Lakers (32-47)

The Celtics will be in position to potentially influence these standings on the final night of the regular season (vs. Wizards) so if the No. 4 seed is clinched by that point, it's even more incentive to rest the starters. Here's a reminder on how much the odds swing of the Grizzlies pick conveys to Boston this year based on where Memphis finishes in the lottery standings.

No. 6: 3.8 percent
No. 7: 14.2 percent
No. 8: 39.2 percent
No. 9: 79.7 percent

Note: In any tiebreaker situation, a coin flip is held before the lottery to determine who gets the higher pick in the lottery in the event two or more teams are tied and no one moves higher than their original spot in the lottery.

Other key games to watch in lottery race:

Sunday
Mavs at Grizzlies
Wizards at Knicks
Pelicans at Kings

Tuesday
Grizzlies at Pistons
Celtics at Wizards
Suns at Mavericks
Warriors at Pelicans

Wednesday
Warriors at Grizzlies
Mavericks at Spurs

Celtics/Kings/Clippers pick

The Kings could still drop to the No. 13 spot in the lottery depending on the final two games of the regular season. The Celtics and Clippers picks are locked into anywhere from the No. 18-25 spots.