Apr 10, 2019; New York, NY, USA; Detroit Pistons forward Thon Maker (7) brings the ball upcourt against the New York Knicks during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Pistons wrapped up the NBA’s final playoff berth Wednesday night as the regular season concluded.
The reward for the Pistons (41-41)? A first-round Eastern Conference playoff date with the league’s best team, the Milwaukee Bucks.
Detroit qualified for the playoffs thanks to a 115-89 road win over the New York Knicks. The Pistons held off a challenge from the Charlotte Hornets, who finished 39-43 after losing 122-114 to the visiting Orlando Magic on Wednesday.
The Magic (42-40) wound up in seventh place in the East, and they will oppose the Toronto Raptors (58-24) in the first round of the playoffs. Orlando has the best current form of any team in the East, winning eight of its last 10 regular-season games.
The other Eastern Conference playoff matchups will see the third-seeded Philadelphia 76ers (51-31) oppose the sixth-seeded Brooklyn Nets (42-40), and the fourth-seeded Boston Celtics (49-33) meet the fifth-seeded Indiana Pacers (48-34).
The two-time defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors (57-25) hold the top seed for the Western Conference playoffs, where their first-round foe will be the eighth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers (47-34).
The other playoff matchups in the West were due to be determined by the results of the Wednesday late games.
—Field Level Media