Pacers, Pistons, Bucks likely to fight to finish for East’s No. 4 seed

March 31, 2025

It appears to be a three-team race in the Eastern Conference. It’s just that the race seems to be between the Pacers, Bucks, and Pistons — and it’s for the No. 4 seed. But hey, that can be life right before the NBA playoffs.

“Keep an eye on the three-way battle for the fourth through sixth seeds involving the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks,” wrote Jamal Collier of ESPN. “This race has gotten interesting after the Bucks announced Damian Lillard is out indefinitely because of blood clots in his right calf.

“Though ESPN reported there is optimism Lillard will play again this season, the Bucks will be without their star guard for an extended stretch and have already dropped six of their past 10 games, falling to No. 6.”

That moved the Pistons — who lost 28 straight games just one season ago — to the No. 5 spot entering Monday night.

“Indiana, meanwhile, has been one of the hottest teams in the league since the All-Star break, going 13-8, while Tyrese Haliburton looks like an All-NBA player again,” Collier wrote. “And then there are the surging Pistons, who are fighting to host a first-round matchup in their first playoff appearance since 2019.

“If the Bucks can’t climb out of the No. 6 seed, they will likely meet the Knicks in a star-studded first-round matchup where the winner of that series is likely to face the Celtics in the second round.

“Meanwhile, the Cavs would have a much clearer path to the conference finals with two less-experienced teams in their way in a potential second-round series.”

If the playoff picture stayed true to today’s NBA standings, the Bucks would face the Knicks in the first round, with the Pacers and Pistons squaring off.

Indiana is 43-31, Detroit 42-33, and Milwaukee 40-34. Just 1.5 games separate the Bucks from the Pacers.