NBA Standings 2019: Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers, Indiana Pacers Fighting For Top-4 Seed

The Boston Celtics (40-26) continue to be the NBA’s most perplexing team. After suffering four straight losses, the Celtics have strung together a couple of very impressive victories on the West Coast, once again looking like a real threat to reach the 2019 NBA Finals.

After dominating the Golden State Warriors (44-20) Tuesday night, Boston beat the Sacramento Kings (32-32). The Celtics are the No.5 seed in the Eastern Conference, and they are within striking distance of the No.3 seed.

The Philadelphia 76ers (41-24) are 1.5 games ahead of Boston in the East standings. The Indiana Pacers (42-23) have a 2.5-game edge on the Celtics. Two of those three teams will end up earning home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

It’s a two-team race for the East’s No.1 seed. The Milwaukee Bucks (48-16) are starting to pull away with the NBA’s best record, though the Toronto Raptors (46-19) only have two fewer victories.

No matter where they finish in the standings, Boston might be favored in a series against Indiana or Philadelphia. The Pacers aren’t considered to be a real title contender now that Victor Oladipo is out for the season. The Celtics have owned the 76ers, going 3-0 against Philadelphia this season and winning last year’s playoff series without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

Boston’s win in Sacramento came without Irving. The Celtics have won their last seven games in which the point guard hasn’t played, outscoring their opponents by an average of 11.4 points per game.

Hayward scored 30 points against the Warriors and hit the game-winning shot against the Kings. The small forward is averaging just 11.0 points per game in his first season back from a broken ankle.

The Celtics have a 6.5-game lead on the No.6 Detroit Pistons (32-31). It’s possible that the last three East playoff teams won’t have a winning record.

The No.8 seed in the West is eight games above .500.