The Boston team achieved that position with its 129-110 win on Sunday against the Memphis Grizzlies, with 31 points and nine rebounds from Jayson Tatum in just 26 minutes on the court.
For the Grizzlies, the Spanish Santi Aldama achieved his highest score in the American tournament with 20 units, 10 balls caught under the hoops (six of them offensive), four assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
The Celtics now await their rival in the first round of the postseason, which will come from the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brooklyn’s roster ended its regular season with a 134-126 win over the Indiana Pacers and finished seventh in the East.
Kyrie Irving’s 35 points, coupled with a brilliant triple-double from Kevin Durant, with 20 cartons, 10 rebounds and 16 assists, allowed the Nets to secure home court advantage in the match against the Cavaliers.
The Cleveland team finished its season with a 133-120 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, who played the game without Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Brook López and Spaniard Serge Ibaka. Kevin Love hit 8-of-11 3-pointers for 32 points as the Cavaliers finished eighth in the East.
The Charlotte Hornets added their third consecutive victory by beating the Washington Wizards, with 25 points from Terry Rozier and 24 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists from LaMelo Ball.
The Charlotte team arrives in a streak to the duel against the Atlanta Hawks and in which they must win to play against the loser of the Nets-Cavaliers the ticket for the playoffs.
The Hawks finished ninth in the table after closing their regular season with a 130-114 victory against the Houston Rockets, with 28 cartons and 11 assists from Trae Young, and now they will face the Hornets with home court advantage.
In another game on Sunday, the Miami Heat, leaders of the East, lost 111-125 to the Orlando Magic and expect a rival in the first round of the playoffs.
Standings (Regular Season Finale):
Eastern Conference:
1-Miami Heat (53-29).
2-Boston Celtics (51-31).
3-Milwaukee Bucks (51-31).
4-Philadelphia Sixers (51-31).
5-Toronto Raptors (48-34).
6-Chicago Bulls (46-36). 7-Brooklyn Nets (44-38).
8-Cleveland Cavaliers (44-38).
9-Atlanta Hawks (43-39).
10-Charlotte Hornets (43-39).
11-New York Knicks (37-45).
12-Washington Wizards (35-47).
13-Indiana Pacers (25-57).
14-Detroit Pistons (23-59).
15-Orlando Magic (22-60).
Western Conference:
1-Phoenix Suns (64-18).
2-Memphis Grizzlies (56-26).
3-Golden State Warriors (53-29).
4-Dallas Mavericks (52-30).
5-Utah Jazz (49-33).
6-Denver Nuggets (48-34).
7-Minnesota Timberwolves (46-36).
8-Los Angeles Clippers (42-40).
9-New Orleans Pelicans (36-46).
10-San Antonio Spurs (34-48).
11-Los Angeles Lakers (33-49). 12-Sacramento Kings (30-52).
13-Portland Trail Blazers (27-55).
14-Oklahoma City Thunder (24-58).
15-Houston Rockets (20-62).
Play-in matchups, April 12-15:
-Eastern Conference: Brooklyn Nets-Cleveland Cavaliers (seventh against eighth), Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Hornets (ninth against tenth).
-Western Conference: Minnesota Timberwolves-Los Angeles Clippers (seventh against eighth) and New Orleans Pelicans-San Antonio Spurs (ninth against tenth).
-The winner of the seventh against the eighth qualifies for the playoffs, while the loser of that game will play the last place in the eliminatory against the winner of the game between ninth and tenth. jcm/am
–
