(Photo: David Zalubowski, Associated Press)
When the NBA schedule was released last fall, not many would have predicted that a matchup between the Pistons and Orlando Magic in late March would have major playoff implications.
That’s where the Pistons find themselves, among five teams clawing for the last three playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons (37-37) went 1-3 on their four-game western gauntlet and in the jumbled playoff chase, they’re in seventh place, a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets.
The Magic (37-38) have won six straight including Tuesday’s victory over the Heat, leapfrogging Miami into eighth.