It may seem like teams are mostly coasting towards the playoffs and jostling for position, whether it be seeding or in the tank race. But there’s still a good amount at stake, even for the Celtics, who have locked up a top-three seed as they host the Hornets on Tuesday night, with just days remaining in the regular season.
While it may feel like the Celtics have the two seed locked up, that’s not the case. They’re three games ahead of the Knicks in the loss column, but New York owns the tiebreak, and the two teams square off on Thursday night in Madison Square Garden.
If the Celtics don’t take care of business against Charlotte, they risk losing on Thursday in MSG, which would force them to win out, playing hard until the final day of the regular season, making sure to beat the Pelicans and Magic, to secure the second seed and homecourt advantage in rounds one and two.
Hornets the team to avoid in bottom half of East playoff mix
Beyond securing the two seed, this game could actually go a long way in determining Boston’s first-round matchup. Teams 5-10 are separated by just 3.5 games, and all of those teams are still in play for every seed from five to ten.
With five game days remaining in the regular season, 19 of the 20 postseason teams have yet to clinch their seed.
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) April 7, 2026
Seeding possibilities entering Tuesday ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/OKflKvGGVU
They are desperately fighting to land the five or six seed, which would mean they’d avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. It’s also relevant because the Hornets have been one of the hottest teams in the league for several months now, and when healthy, they have looked extremely dangerous, including a blowout win over the Celtics in early March.
This team has the highest upside, by far, of any team in this East play-in mix, and if you could choose one team to avoid in round one, it’s got to be the Hornets. That’s why Tuesday’s game is even more important, because Charlotte is currently tied with Philadelphia and Orlando at 43-36.
A loss to the Celtics would push them into ninth place, which would mean they have to win two play-in games to reach the playoffs, and could climb no higher than the eight seed, which would mean a matchup with the top-seeded Pistons.
So to recap, with a Celtics win on Tuesday night, they’d only need to win one of their final three games or have the Knicks lose one of their final three to clinch the two seed, and they’d push the Hornets down to ninth for the time being, making a first round matchup with desirable opponents like the Raptors and Magic more likely.