Going into tonight, the Celtics needed to win against Chicago by more than 22 points, as well as needing the Nets to win, and do so by 8 points less than Boston at minimum. With a Celtics 27 point win against Chicago, they needed the Nets to win by 19 points or less, and they won by 12 points. Here’s how the top of the group looks:
Celtics: 3-1, +27 PD
Magic: 3-1, +22 PD
Nets: 3-1, +20 PD
Because the Magic beat the Celtics on Friday, the Magic owned the Head to Head tiebreaker against Boston, meaning the only way Boston could win the tiebreaker was through a 3 way point differential tiebreaker, which is why they needed a Brooklyn win tonight. With Brooklyn’s 12 point win, the Celtics will play in the bracket stage!
It’s an entertaining distraction, but I don’t care too much about the IST.
On the other hand, watching Ben Simmons in street clothes on the Nets bench absolutely thrilled me.