Indiana Pacers vs. Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics vs. Washington Wizards face off in a single game
The NBA’s 2020/2021 regular season came to an end last Sunday, the day when the last qualifiers for the so-called “play-in” were defined, a sort of playoff for the playoffs. This phase begins today, with Indiana Pacers v Charlotte Hornets and Boston Celtics v Washington Wizards, in the decisive clashes on the East Coast.
The seventh placed player in each conference faces eighth, and whoever wins guarantees the seventh place in the conference for the playoffs. The loser has another chance: he takes the winner of the duel between the 9th and 10th place to define the last classified (the eighth place). All in a single game, at the house of the one who has the best campaign.
Play-in is an indirect result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2019/2020 NBA season was interrupted, then resumed in Orlando’s bubble with a new table, with only direct confrontations between playoff candidates. As a result, not all teams played the same number of games, and the playoff was an attempt to avoid eliminating a franchise just because of the schedule.
The Clashes:
The Pacers team comes from a recent victory in the NBA, where they finished the regular season in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, with 34 wins and 38 losses over 72 games. In this position, he disputes with Charlotte for a place in the playoffs, having the advantage of playing at home. To face the opponent, the coach Nate Bjorkgren has a list of doubts, with Sumner, Holiday and LeVert.
The Hornets’ team has a very bad five-game losing streak recently, but they still managed to finish the regular season in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, with 33 wins and 39 losses over 72 games, still vying for a playoff spot. . To face the Pacers away from home, coach James Borrego has no doubts other than Cody Martin to enter the court.
Indiana Pacers statistics for 2020/21 regular season
. 0.472% win rate
. Average of 115.3 points per game; +0.0 difference
. Average of 42.7 rebounds, 27.4 assists and 20.2 fouls
Charlotte Hornets stats for 2020/21 regular season
. 0.458% win rate
. Average of 109.5 points per game; -1.9 difference
. Average of 43.8 rebounds, 26.8 assists and 18.0 fouls
In a recent form of stumbling, the Celtics arrive as the seventh place in the Eastern Conference, with 36 wins and 36 losses over the 72 games of the regular season. With this new Play-Ins rule, the team faces eighth place in the fight for a place in the Conference playoffs. For the game, coach Brad Stevens has a list of absences, such as Fournier, Tatum, Williams II, Thompson and Walker.
The Washington Wizards team, on the other hand, have had good wins in the last games, ending the regular season with 34 wins and 38 losses over 72 games, placing eighth in the Eastern Conference. In this way, he faces the Boston Celtics in search of a place in the playoffs. For the match, coach Scott Brooks has few absences, such as Raul Neto and Bryant.
Boston Celtics statistics for 2020/21 regular season
. 0.500% win rate
. Average of 112.6 points per game; +1.5 difference
. Average of 44.3 rebounds, 23.5 assists and 20.4 fouls
Washington Wizards statistics for the 2020/21 regular season
. 0.472% win rate
. Average of 116.6 points per game; -1.8 difference
. Average of 45.2 rebounds, 25.5 rebounds and 21.6 fouls
