The Boston Celtics have secured home-court advantage, but they are still influencing the playoff seeding significantly.
In a thrilling matchup, Xavier Tillman’s clutch floater with just seven seconds remaining sealed the fate of the Sacramento Kings, handing them their second consecutive defeat in a narrow 101-100 loss on Friday.
Sacramento seemed to have control of the game when Keegan Murray blocked Sam Hauser’s shot while holding onto a one-point lead late in the game. However, Hauser’s persistent effort led to him stripping the ball away from Murray, creating an opportunity that Tillman capitalized on amidst the defensive chaos to secure the winning score.
While the Celtics enjoy a comfortable 14-game lead over their nearest competitor in the Eastern Conference, the race in the Western Conference is much tighter. With the loss, the Kings now stand at 44-33, a mere three games off their pace from last season. Notably, they occupied the third spot last year, whereas they currently find themselves in the eighth position.
The Kings now find themselves sharing an identical record with the Los Angeles Lakers with just five games remaining in the regular season. This discrepancy holds significant weight, as it dictates the path to the playoffs: either participating in the 7-8 game with two opportunities to advance or facing the daunting prospect of two single-elimination games just to secure the eighth seed.
Despite the Celtics missing key players like Derrick White and Jaylen Brown, the Kings may have felt they had clinched victory when De’Aaron Fox nailed a go-ahead three-pointer. However, Tillman’s late-game heroics snatched victory away from them, potentially jeopardizing their postseason aspirations and setting them up for a brief playoff appearance.
