The Celtics' 118-115 loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia put a serious dent in the C's hopes of catching the Sixers and taking over the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The C's (43-29) fell four games back of the 76ers (47-25) with 10 regular-season games remaining and are currently in the fifth spot in the East, a game behind the Indiana Pacers (44-28).
Now, Boston's final two games against Indiana, next Friday, March 29, at TD Garden, and April 5 in Indianapolis, loom large if the C's want to surpass the Pacers and gain the No. 4 spot and home-court advantage in a 4 vs. 5 first-round series with Indy.
Despite losing All-Star Victor Oladipo for the season to injury on Jan. 23, the Pacers have stubbornly held on to the four or five spots by going 13-11 in his absence. With the C's likely locked into a 4/5 first-round matchup, who starts the series at home and plays a possible Game 7 at home will likely come down to their late-season head-to-head meetings.
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