NBA Notebook: Who do you want the Celtics to face in the first round of the playoffs?

The Celtics are effectively locked into the second seed with nine games remaining and 4.5 games separating the Cavaliers from them, along with a three-game edge in the conference record tiebreaker. That leaves them waiting until Apr. 15-16 for the winner of the play-in tournament game between the east's seventh and eighth seeds to determine who will play them in the first round. It's an unimpressive cast of contenders for the top spot, but the current pair of teams in position to compete in that one-game playoff both defeated Boston earlier this season and have a history of playing the Celtics tough.

Here's what lies ahead for those teams. 

Atlanta Hawks: 35-38, 9 games remaining, 7th seed, -- games back of 7th, 2-1 vs. Celtics this season, 112.8 off. rating (20th), 114.6 def. rating (17th), -1.8 net rating (20th)

@ MIL, vs. POR, @ DAL, vs. NYK, vs. UTA, @ ORL, @ BKN, @ PHI, vs. ORL 

Pre play-in: 55.8% chance at 7th seed, 28.5% 8th seed, 11.4% 9th seed, 3.8% 10th seed. 

The win-one, lose-one team going back five seasons (196-195) has fallen below .500 and looked demoralized following a season-ending injury to Jalen Johnson on Jan. 23, when the Hawks stood at 22-22. That means not too much changed, substantively, in the span since. Trae Young still leads a compelling offense at times. The defense rarely figured it out in the time since Quin Snyder took over, but the head coach's analytical approach to the game has often challenged Boston when they've played in recent years. The Hawks dominated the Celtics, 19-6, on the offensive glass and Onyeka Okongwu's game-winning putback sealed a November win behind Dyson Daniels' 28 points while Young sat. Boston collapsed leading by three with 21 seconds left when Jrue Holiday threw a pass out of bounds trying to avoid a Hawks take foul before accidentally fouling Young in the bonus while Atlanta trailed by two. The Hawks won in overtime and took the season series. In 2023, Atlanta pushed the Celtics to six games in the first round, but have since revamped their roster, trading De'Andre Hunter for Caris LeVert and Georges Niang. Dejounte Murray went to New Orleans over the summer for Daniels, whose 208 steals (3.1 SPG) have put him in the defensive player of the year conversation. Clint Capela injured his left hand one week ago and was expected to miss 3-4 weeks. They've won 6-of-10, and a 5-4 finish projects them to finish seventh in the standings. 

Orlando Magic: 35-39, 8 games remaining, 0.5 games back of 7th, 1-1 vs. Celtics this season, 108.3 off. rating (27th), 109.5 def. rating (T-2nd), -1.2 net rating (18th) 

vs. SAC, vs. LAC, @ SAS, @ WAS, vs. ATL, vs. BOS, @ IND, @ ATL. 

Pre play-in: 34.5% chance at 7th seed, 32.1% 8th seed, 24.1% 9th seed, 9.2% 10th seed. 

Annually one of the toughest defensive teams in the NBA under Jamahl Mosley and one enhanced by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner's star power in recent seasons. The problem is both players went down with significant injuries earlier this year and have struggled to regain their efficiency since, Wagner in particular struggling immensely from three going back to last summer (29.3% 3PT this season). Moe Wagner suffered a season-ending ACL surgery before an emotional Magic team scored a 108-104 win at home over the Celtics, who lost Jayson Tatum to an illness shortly before tip-off. Jalen Suggs led Orlando alongside Cole Anthony that night with Banchero and Wagner out, Suggs since succumbing to back and knee injuries that ended his season. That leaves the Magic vulnerable and damaged, but still dangerous with a front line of Banchero, Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. that Jaylen Brown once compared to the old Raptors who relied on length and physicality to slow the Celtics. Orlando also grinds the game to a halt, which shouldn't be a problem for a Boston team that also plays relatively slow. The faster teams have bothered them more. Tatum scored 30 in their second meeting, Brown added 20 and Kristaps Porziņģis put up 23 points in 23 minutes in a 121-94 Celtics win. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope hasn't contributed offensively as they expected, Anthony Black's offensive growth hasn't matched his defense and rookie Tristan Da Silva's 33% mark from three ranks fifth on the team. The Magic rank 30th in three-point makes and 23rd in attempts. They meet for the final time this regular season on April 9 in Orlando. 

Chicago Bulls: 33-40, 9 games remaining 2.0 games back of 7th, 1-3 vs. Celtics this season, 113.0 off. rating (19th), 115.4 def. rating (24th), -2.4 net rating (22nd)

vs. DAL, @ OKC, vs. TOR, vs. POR, @ CHA, @ CLE, vs. MIA, vs. WAS, @ PHI.

Pre play-in: 4.1% chance at 7th seed, 29.1% 8th seed, 39.1% 9th seed, 27.7% 10th seed. 

Ascended higher in the play-in race with wins in nine of their last 11, a stretch where they're 10th in offense, posting 119 points per 100 possessions while playing at the highest pace in the NBA (102.6 possessions per game). That's a challenging style for the Celtics to match, and a team overhaul before the trade deadline changed the dynamic of their team. Zach LaVine, who led the Bulls' lone win over Boston with 36 points, went to Sacramento in a trade that brought Kevin Huerter, Tre Jones and Zach Collins to Chicago. Coby White and Josh Giddey assumed the offense in his place, White averaging 26.2 PPG while shooting 8.6 threes per game (35.7%). Huerter is launching 8.2 (38.2%). Giddey (51.7%), Nikola Vučević (50%) and Jones (55%) are also hot since the all-star break. While they're an average shooting team over that stretch (36.4%), only the Celtics, Blazers, Wolves, Warriors, Nets and Cavs have taken more threes than Chicago's 41.2 attempts per game. They won't be a tough team to mismatch hunt against, but containing the Bulls' guards will prove difficult. White is averaging 30.2 PPG on 50.2% shooting over the last 11 games. Jones suffered a left foot sprain last week and will be evaluated in one week. Ayo Dosunmu is done for the season with a shoulder injury. 

Miami Heat: 32-41, 9 games remaining, 3.0 games back of 7th, 0-3 vs. Celtics this season, 111.4 off. rating (23rd), 112.5 def. rating (12th), -1.0 net rating (17th) 

@ PHI, @ WAS, @ BOS, vs. MEM, vs. MIL, vs. PHI, @ CHI, @ NO, vs. WAS. 

Face a favorable schedule to close the year and got back on their feet with wins over the Hornets, Warriors and Hawks where Tyler Herro scored 28.3 PPG on 67.4% shooting. Andrew Wiggins shot well in the first half of Boston and Miami's last meeting, but the Heat have struggled to put the ball in the basket both before and after the Jimmy Butler trade. Butler's presence always raised at least some intrigue if he could become available, but there isn't enough top-end offensive talent here to make any case that they could compete with the Celtics if they were to rise to the eighth seed or higher, which is unlikely with so few games remaining. Still, Bam Adebayo and the Heat's switching and zone defenses would provide some valuable reps for Brown and Tatum to make reads against if a Celtics-Heat series did happen for the fourth straight season. A 5-4 finish and .500 play from their competitors still leaves them about 1.0 game out of the 7-8 play in game. They're more likely going to play for a chance to face the Cavs. Since the all-star break, Adebayo is back to shooting 51.9%, Duncan Robinson is 41% from three, Davion Mitchell is scoring double-figures and Kel'el Ware is averaging close to a double-double. But from Mar. 5-21, the Heat went on a 10 game losing streak, the longest of Erik Spoelstra's career. They've failed to reach 100 points in six straight games against the Celtics going back to their first round series last year, including five where they failed to hit 90. Wiggins (hamstring) and Robinson (back) didn't travel to begin the Heat's three-game road trip, Nikola Jovic remains without a timetable after being cleared for on-court work following his hand injury and Dru Smith is out for the season with a ruptured achilles. 

Here's what else happened around the NBA this week...

Atlanta (35-38): Still own a 42.6% chance to finish as the seventh seed and play the Celtics in the first round despite losses to Rockets and Heat last week. The Hawks face the Bucks, Trail Blazers and Mavericks for the first three of their final nine games, which include two against Orlando that could decide the tiebreaker and home court between them, if they face off in the 7-vs.-8 play-in game. The Magic moved within 0.5 games of the Hawks on Friday for the seventh seed while Chicago surged to within 2.0. Trae Young, who's signed for one more season before his 2026-27 player option, told Hoopshype he's not thinking about extension talks yet. Caris LeVert, who's a free agent this summer, expressed more open interest in re-signing with Atlanta. Michael Scotto also reported Clint Capela is expected to depart the team in free agency this summer. Quin Snyder made a passionate pitch for Dyson Daniels to win defensive player of the year. 

Boston (54-19): Jayson Tatum came off the injury report on Friday after only four days earlier appearing to turn his left ankle badly on a flagrant closeout by Domantas Sabonis. He missed Wednesday's win over the Suns, but shot around in the morning and pushed hard until close to game time to return to the lineup. Jaylen Brown, who returned from a bone bruise in his knee that cost him four of the five prior games, struggled in his return before providing 24 points while looking closer to himself in Phoenix. He said after the game that he's on a minutes restriction and expects to manage the injury going forward. New Celtics owner Bill Chisholm's current purchase structure will challenge NBA rules that prevent a private equity firm like Sixth Street from having the largest share of ownership in the deal, according to Axios. Adam Silver, speaking earlier this week, said the league is in the early stages of assessing the sale, which could take months. It's also currently unclear if Wyc Grousbeck's role as governor for the next three years is in writing. Jake Fischer reported that Boston will likely look at Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis' contracts as the straightest paths to cost-cutting this summer, if necessary. He added that Al Horford is expected to receive mid-level exception interest with a salary starting around $6-million this summer when he enters unrestricted free agency at age 39. 

Charlotte (18-55): LaMelo Ball will miss the rest of the season after undergoing procedures to address right ankle and wrist issues. Ankle injuries have derailed his past three seasons, over which he played 47 games in 2025, 22 in 2024 and 36 in 2023. He averaged 25.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG and 7.4 APG on 40.5% shooting this season at 23, the worst efficiency of his career. The Hornets visit Boston for a two-game mini series that concludes each of their regular seasons later next month. In Charlotte, columnist Rod Boone assessed Charles Lee's first season as head coach and wondered if the former Celtics assistant approached the year with too much positivity despite their poor play throughout.

Chicago (33-40): One of the hottest teams in the NBA continued their run with a mind-blowing 13 point fourth quarter comeback over the Lakers where they scored nine points in the final 10 seconds of the game. Patrick Williams hit a three to cut their five-point deficit to two before Josh Giddey stole LeBron James' in-bound pass and hit Coby White for a three and a lead. Then, after Austin Reaves scored for LA the other way, Giddey dribbled to mid-court with three seconds left and tossed a half court heave that fell and sent the United Center into a frenzy. Giddey scored 25 points for the second straight game with 14 rebounds and 11 assists, now shooting 52.5% from the field and 41.2% from three in March. His 22.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG and 9.5 APG put him among the most productive players in the league this month. They've won 9-of-11 to reach within 1.5 games of the 7-vs.-8 play in game with nine remaining, though they only lead 10th seed Miami by one game. They currently lose tiebreakers to Orlando and Atlanta, but beat Miami in their series, 2-0. They play one more game in Chicago next month. 

Dallas (36-38): Anthony Davis returned from missing more than one month with an adductor injury he suffered in his Mavs debut, leading wins over the Nets and Magic that vaulted Dallas back into the postseason picture one game ahead of the Suns. Davis shot 11-for-28 with 27 points across the two games, playing only 28 minutes per game max for now. He discussed the shock of the trade, people around him saying he looks happier in Dallas and angling for a playoff spot with Andscape. Mark Cuban, looking back at his Mavs sale, said he fully expected to run basketball operations before new ownership took over a larger role and final say of those personnel moves. Dallas has eight games remaining beginning on Saturday and a 17.4% chance to sneak into the playoffs as the eighth seed through the play-in. 

"The NBA wouldn't let me put it in the contract," Cuban wrote. "They took it out. Just like they won't let the Celtics put it in. I thought they would stick to their word because they didn't know the first thing about running a team. Someone obviously changed their mind."

Denver (47-28): Nikola Jokić made two of the best plays of the NBA season, first tossing a Magic Johnson pass behind his head to Aaron Gordon during his 39-point triple double against Milwaukee. Then, while beating the Jazz, he tossed in a three-quarters court shot. They're the third seed in the west, 1.5 games behind Houston, with a two-game cushion on the Lakers and Grizzlies. Basketball Reference gives them a 61.7% chance to finish there, with their most likely first round opponent (30.5%) being the Minnesota Timberwolves, who thwarted their chance of repeating as champions in the second round last spring with a 2-3 comeback. Russell Westbrook moved past Oscar Robertson for eighth all-time in assists after passing Kevin Garnett to join the top-20 scorers in NBA history. He also reached 16th in steals ahead of Kobe Bryant late this week. 

Detroit (42-32): Won 7-of-10 and their third straight without Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris against the east-best Cavs, becoming the first team in NBA history to triple their win total from the previous year, now up to 42 to from 14 last season. They clinched their first year above .500 since 2015-16, and need only three wins to achieve their best mark since 2007-08. They now have 1.5 games over the Bucks as the east's fifth seed and could push the Pacers for home court in a potential first-round series. They've lost 2-of-3 to the Pacers this season. Cunningham missed his third straight game with a calf contusion. He's the heavy favorite to win most improved, averaging 25.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG and 9.2 APG. 

Golden State (42-31)/Miami (32-41): Jimmy Butler returned to mostly boos in his first game back in Miami, losing 112-86 as Steph Curry remained out with his pelvic contusion. Butler embraced former teammates, but mostly sat emotionless during the Heat's video tribute before quickly leaving when the game ended. He scored 11 points in 29 minutes as the Warriors fell into an effective three-way tie for the sixth seed with the Clippers and Timberwolves. Curry returned with 23 points at New Orleans on Friday, and will author three books with the first coming in September. Gary Payton II will miss 3-6 weeks with a torn ligament in his left thumb. For the Heat, their 10-game losing streak turned into three straight wins this week to regain their footing in the play-in race. Miami visits Boston for their final meeting on Wednesday. 

"I got a lot of love in the city for the fan base here," Butler said. "Video was nice. I won't say that there was a lot of emotions, though. I think I went into this thing level-headed. We wanted to win a game. It didn't go the way that we planned. We'll be all right."

Lakers (44-29): Lost on Josh Giddey's heave one game after LeBron James put back Luka Dončić's missed jumper for the win over Indiana after a similar fourth quarter collapse. According to ESPN, it marked the first time a team won and lost on a buzzer-beater in consecutive games since the Hornets did so in 1992. JJ Redick called the loss devastation, while James struggled to shoot in his first four games back from a groin injury. Off the floor, James continued his spat with Stephen A. Smith, as their bizarre back-and-forth following James' call-out of Smith's Bronny James criticism devolved into Smith saying he would've swung on James if he touched him that night. James aired out grievances against Smith, Brian Windhorst and more in an interview with Pat McAfee. 

Memphis (44-29): Fired head coach Taylor Jenkins on Friday despite the Grizzlies' top-four standing in the west after 5.5 seasons where Memphis went 250-214, made the playoffs for three straight years but only advanced from the first round once. Last year, injuries to Ja Morant and effectively the team's entire rotation throughout the season led them to the lottery at 27-55, but Morant and Memphis mostly turned it around and spent most of the first half in second place. Recently, they lost 9-of-15 and hadn't beaten a team over .500 since Feb. 2, when the defeated the Bucks. GM Zach Kleiman took responsibility for the decision on Saturday and named assistant Tuomas Iisalo, from Finland, interim head coach. He joined the staff as part of an offseason overhaul of Jenkins' bench. The team upgraded Morant to questionable after he missed six games with a hamstring injury. The Grizzlies host the Celtics on Monday to conclude Boston's six-game road trip after defeating them at TD Garden in December. 

Milwaukee (40-33): Damian Lillard is out indefinitely after doctors discovered a blood clot in his right calf, the same deep vein thrombosis that ended Victor Wembanyama's season last month. The Bucks announced blood-thinning medication effectively stabilized the clot and did not rule out a return later this year, but Giannis Antetokounmpo will carry heavier weight to push the Bucks into the playoffs. They lost three straight games this week and fell to the sixth seed in the east behind the Pistons, a position that would line them up against the daunting Knicks in round one, who beat them 116-107 late this week without Jalen Brunson. New York won all three meetings this year.

"Damian's health is our No. 1 priority," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery."

Oklahoma City (61-12): Closing in on clinching home court advantage in the playoffs after a win over the Grizzlies, though Alex Caruso (back) and Jaylin Williams (hip) left the game. Both enter Saturday's game against the Pacers questionable with their ailments. For Caruso, who's taken a slight step back statistically and has missed many games in his first Thunder season, Oklahoma City remains satisfied with the trade despite former Thunder Josh Giddey going off this month. Mark Daigneault reflected on the deal this week. 

Philadelphia (23-50): Nick Nurse said Joel Embiid finished his run of seeing specialists about addressing ongoing knee swelling that derailed and eventually ended his 2025 season early. Other options might come up, leading to further discussion, but he thinks the team and Embiid are nearing a decision on a treatment. Tyrese Maxey (finger), who hasn't played since Mar. 3, is hoping to participate in some game action before the Sixers' season ends next month. They're currently sixth in the lottery, 0.5 games above the Nets. 

Phoenix (35-39): The latest team to try a bold defensive strategy against the Celtics, helping heavily on drives and allowing Boston to shoot wide open threes on their way to 42 points and 10 threes in the first quarter of their eventual blowout win on Wednesday. Kevin Durant scored 30 points, but traded twos for threes and struggled immensely to closeout and rotate on Celtics shooters. Kristaps Porziņģis matched Durant's 30 with his biggest game of the season, while Phoenix fell out of the play-in mix by 1.0 game in Minnesota. 

San Antonio (31-41): Host the Celtics without De'Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama on Saturday, losing 12-of-20 since Wembanyama went down for the season in February. Devin Vassell and rookie of the year favorite Stephon Castle have split the scoring duties in their absence, averaging 17.6 PPG each since the all-star break. Big shooter Sandro Mamukelashvili has become a late season revelation, hitting 39.4% of his threes on 6.0 attempts per game. Wembanyama reportedly underwent surgery to address his blood clot and is doing fine, with French national team head coach Frédéric Fauthoux saying he remains motivated to play for France this summer. 

Washington (16-57): Khris Middleton spoke to Hoopshype about his transition to Washington, declaring that the Wizards could make the playoffs next year with their mix of young and veteran talent they've accumulated this year. After a recent uptick in play, Marcus Smart (illness), Bilal Coulibaly (hamstring) and Corey Kispert (thumb) went down, leading to a 162-109 loss to the Pacers that marked the worst defensive night by any team this season and one of the worst of all-time. Smart and the Wizards visit Boston next Sunday.