Hawks and Celtics Reshape NBA Play In Picture

The regular season comes down to one final night. The Hawks clinched a playoff spot and the Southeast Division, the Celtics wrapped the Atlantic, and the Hornets locked into the play-in. Several seeds remain unsettled: projected play-in matchups include Suns vs Trail Blazers and Clippers vs Warriors out West, and Magic vs Sixers and Hornets vs Heat in the East. Sunday’s key games — Raptors vs Nets, Hawks vs Heat, Magic vs Celtics, Blazers vs Kings — will determine who dodges the play-in and who faces a sudden-death path. Merlin sees volatility ahead. Toronto’s place is fragile, Orlando and Philadelphia still push for better seeding, and Portland’s late surge could force the Clippers into a brutal play-in with Golden State. Small swings tonight will rewrite first-round matchups and playoff routes.