![The Bulls and Pacers wrapped up the final two playoff spots in the East. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/4/13/660x290/b_502x220x82/the-bulls-and-pacers-wrapped-up-the-final-two-playoff-spots-in-the-east-image-via-blasting-news-image-libraryinquisitrcom_1269423.jpg "The Bulls and Pacers wrapped up the final two playoff spots in the East. [Image via Blasting News image library/inquisitr.com]")
Wednesday night marked the final night of regular games on the NBA schedule. When the night started, three teams were still battling for the final two spots in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. By the end of the evening, the Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls had captured those final two postseason berths. Unfortunately for the Miami Heat, even though they scored a victory over playoff-bound Washington, they were left on the outside looking in for this year's postseason action.
Bulls, Pacers & Heat win
The Chicago Bulls won in resounding fashion 112-73 behind 25 points from their star Jimmy Butler.
He also snatched six boards and had four assists along with four steals and two blocks. Paul Zipser came off the bench to add 21 points and six rebounds, while Bobby Portis had the double-double of 12 points and 10 boards. The Bulls held Brooklyn to just 32.6 percent shooting as the Nets finished at 42 games under .500 for the season. Chicago finished at 41-41 and earned a playoff spot as the No. 8 seed.
The Indiana Pacers snagged the No. 7 seed with their home win against the Atlanta Hawks. All-Star Paul George finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead the team to the win. That included 12-for-21 shooting and going five-of-10 on three-point shots. Jeff Teague and Myles Turner combined for 37 points, eight rebounds and seven assists with the Pacers shooting 47.6 percent in the win.
Indiana finished 42-40 for their season to gain a playoff berth.
The Miami Heat knew they had to win on Wednesday night to have any chance at a playoff spot. Miami did just that, but unfortunately, due to Chicago winning and having an identical record, Miami lost a tie-breaker situation. However, the Heat may be proud of the fact they achieved one of the best turnarounds in NBA history.
After being 19 games under .500, the team managed to turn it around and improve to .500 to finish out the season. On the final night of the NBA schedule, the Heat got a 110-102 home victory over the Wizards thanks to 28 from Goran Dragic along with 24 points and 18 rebounds from Hassan Whiteside.
Playoff matchups
As mentioned, the Chicago Bulls ended up with the No.
8 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. That means they'll have an opening round series with the East's top seed, the Boston Celtics.
The Indiana Pacers are the No. 7 seed and draw the defending NBA champions, the No. 2 seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The two will go head-to-head in a best-of-seven series for the first round of the NBA playoffs.
The NBA postseason officially starts this coming weekend with first-round matchups for the Eastern and Western Conference playoffs.
