NBA NEWS

NBA playoff matchups: Pistons earn shot at Bucks

Field Level Media

April 11, 2019 at 6:00 am.

Apr 10, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Bonzie Colson (50) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson (23) during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Apr 10, 2019; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Bonzie Colson (50) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder guard Terrance Ferguson (23) during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch-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, and they will face the Los Angeles Clippers (48-34), who ended their regular season with a 143-137 overtime win over the Utah Jazz.

The San Antonio Spurs also finished 48-34 after their 105-94 win over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. The Spurs, however, won two of three against the Clippers this season to get the tiebreaker. San Antonio will begin the postseason against the West’s second seed, the Denver Nuggets (54-28).

The Portland Trail Blazers will have the home-court advantage in their first-round series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Portland locked down the third seed with its 136-131 win over the Sacramento Kings. The Blazers and Houston Rockets each finished 53-29, but Portland got the edge because of its head-to-head tiebreaker over the Rockets.

The Thunder’s 127-116 win over the Bucks on Wednesday put Oklahoma City (49-33) alone in sixth place.

The other Western Conference series will have the fourth-seeded Rockets facing the fifth-seeded Utah Jazz (50-32).