(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
The 2023-24 NBA season is finally winding down, though the next week will feature several teams that will be motivated to try and move up in the standings.
Both the Eastern and Western Conferences feature some tight playoff races, though there are other teams toiling toward the bottom of the standings.
The Play-In Tournament will take place almost immediately after the regular season ends and there are still several teams looking to avoid it completely.
However, the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks aren’t in that category as their paltry records have made them a lock to have to earn their postseason spot.
After the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Memphis Grizzlies, it locked the Bulls and Hawks into the lower-seeded Play-In Tournament game, via Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com.
One play-in match officially set: Bulls vs. Hawks for East 9/10 game https://t.co/CU8UGNKY9Q
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) April 7, 2024
Both Chicago and Atlanta have been mired in mediocrity this season and own sub-.500 records, though the bottom of the Eastern Conference has been even worse.
The Bulls will likely host the Hawks for their matchup because they’re up nearly two games and own the tiebreaker between the two.
Whoever wins will go on to play the loser of the seven-eight seed matchup, which right now is slated to be either the Miami Heat or 76ers.
Regardless, whoever comes out of the game will likely get sent home as Miami and Philadelphia are stronger teams that tend to play better basketball once the playoffs come around.
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