Celtics playoff picture: Boston takes major step in No. 2 seed race

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Celtics playoff picture: Boston takes major step in No. 2 seed race

Brian Robb · MassLive

Mon, Apr 6, 2026 ·

3 min read

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The Celtics took care of business against a potential first-round opponent on Sunday, defeating the Raptors 115-101 at TD Garden. It was the third straight win for Boston , as the hosts locked a top-3 seed in the Eastern Conference with just four regular season games remaining.

Boston improved to 53-25 with the victory, extending their lead to three games over the idle New York Knicks for the No. 2 seed with just one week remaining in the regular season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS

	W	L	Pct	GB
z-Detroit	57	21	.731	—
x-Boston	53	25	.679	4
x-New York	50	28	.641	7
x- Cleveland	49	29	.628	8
Atlanta	45	33	.577	12
Philadelphia	43	35	.551	14
Toronto	43	35	.551	14
Charlotte	43	36	.544	14½
Orlando	42	36	.538	15
Miami	41	37	.526	16

The Knicks currently own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Boston, but that’s on the verge of being inconsequential in the standings. The Celtics’ magic number to clinch the No. 2 seed in the East is down to two, which could come as soon as Tuesday night if Boston takes care of business at TD Garden against the Hornets and gets some help from the Hawks against the Knicks on Monday night. That combination of results would clinch the No. 2 seed for Boston even before the team travels to New York to face the Knicks on Thursday night. Even if the Knicks win out, Boston would need to go 1-3 or worse to give up the No. 2 seed. Here is the remaining schedule for both teams:

Celtics remaining schedule:vs. CHA, @ NYK, vs. NOP, vs. ORL

Knicks remaining schedule:@ ATL, vs. BOS, vs. TOR, vs. CHA

A soft finishing schedule for Boston makes the more intriguing battle right now who will land the No. 3 seed between the Knicks and the Cavs . Cleveland currently sits behind the Knicks by just one game after beating the Pacers on Sunday night. However, the Knicks own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cleveland, so the Cavs will likely need to win out to give themselves a chance at finishing a full game ahead of New York.

The Cavs schedule (@ MEM, vs. ATL, @ ATL, vs. WAS) is not easy, given that the Hawks have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA over the past two months. For now, the odds remain in favor of the Knicks staying in the No. 3 seed and remaining on the Celtics side of the bracket.

Elsewhere, there’s little certainty about a first-round opponent for Boston beyond the fact that it’s unlikely to be the Hawks at this point. Elsewhere, just one game separates the Sixers , Raptors, Hornets, and Magic in the standings between the No. 6-9 seeds.

The Celtics will see one of those opponents on Tuesday night as they host the Hornets at TD Garden.

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