Back on Jan. 18, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics were stuffed in overtime by the Hawks, 119-115, to win both games at TD Garden and take the season series, 2-1.
Back on Jan. 18, Jaylen Brown and the Celtics were stuffed in overtime by the Hawks, 119-115, to win both games at TD Garden and take the season series, 2-1.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
The Celtics are 49-19 and all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with just 14 games remaining. Entering Monday night, they trailed the first-place Cavaliers by 7½ games and led the third-place Knicks by 6.
Due to holding one of the top two seeds, the Celtics will once again have little clarity regarding their first-round opponent until a few days before their series begins. But the options have at least been narrowed.
As the No. 2 seed, Boston would face the winner of the first play-in tournament game between the seventh- and eighth-place teams.
The sixth-place Pistons entered Monday with a five-game lead over the seventh-place Hawks, so it is unlikely that Detroit will fall into the play-in tournament. Atlanta (32-36) and Orlando (32-37) currently occupy the spots for the 7/8 play-in game. The Heat (29-38) are lurking two games behind the Magic, and the Bulls (28-39) are one game behind the Heat.
The Celtics would be massive favorites against all four of these teams, but each opponent could present unique challenges. Here is a breakdown.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics had a rough time of it in the loss to Atlanta back on Jan. 18.
Jayson Tatum and the Celtics had a rough time of it in the loss to Atlanta back on Jan. 18.Barry Chin/Globe Staff
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks won the season series against the Celtics, 2-1, including a pair of wins at TD Garden. But Atlanta has since taken the first steps in its rebuild, trading Bogdan Bogdanovic to the Clippers and De’Andre Hunter to the Cavaliers.
With All-Star point guard Trae Young guiding the attack, Atlanta has been known for a potent offense over the years. But there has been regression recently. The Hawks’ offense ranked seventh two seasons ago, 12th last year, and has plummeted to 20th this year, averaging 112.1 points per 100 possessions.
Although Young leads the NBA in assists per game (11.5), his 3-point percentage has cratered from 37.2 a year ago to 32.5 this season. He is exactly the kind of weak link that Boston’s offense relentlessly attacks on the defensive end, so Atlanta needs his long-range shooting to help offset that issue. The Hawks’ minus-2.4 net rating ranks 24th.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics battled past Paolo Banchero and the Magic, 121-94, back on Jan. 17 at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics battled past Paolo Banchero and the Magic, 121-94, back on Jan. 17 at TD Garden.Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Orlando Magic
The Celtics and Magic split two regular-season meetings, with an April 9 game in Orlando remaining.
A year ago, Orlando appeared to be one of the NBA’s rising young teams. Behind first-time All-Star Paolo Banchero, it won 47 games and lost a tough seven-game playoff series against the Cavaliers.
This year, the Magic have taken a significant step back, in large part due to injuries. Starting guard Jalen Suggs and leading bench scorer Mo Wagner have both been lost for the year, and Banchero and Franz Wagner both missed significant time after suffering oblique strains.
The Celtics have occasionally struggled against teams that look to push that pace, but that would not be an issue against Orlando, which averages just 96.65 possessions per game, second fewest in the NBA. Also, the Magic are shooting a league-low 31.1 percent from the 3-point line.
The Magic do have the NBA’s fourth-ranked defense, surrendering just 109.4 points per 100 possessions. The unit certainly misses Suggs, an All-Defense performer, but it has still ranked 10th since he was lost for the year. And over the last two weeks, the Magic have road wins against the Bucks and Cavaliers.
Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 25 points in the Celtics' 108-89 win over the Heat on Dec. 2 at TD Garden.
Payton Pritchard came off the bench to score 25 points in the Celtics' 108-89 win over the Heat on Dec. 2 at TD Garden.Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
Miami Heat
The Celtics hold a 3-0 lead in the season series, with an April 2 game at TD Garden remaining.
If these teams play again, it would be their fourth consecutive year meeting in the playoffs, and the fifth time in six seasons. But Miami used to be more fearsome.
The Heat won two of three conference finals matchups against the Celtics before they were weakened by Jimmy Butler’s absence due to injury in the first round last year. The Heat still stomped into TD Garden and won Game 2 despite being undermanned.
Now, of course, Butler plays for the Warriors, and Miami does not have enough left to really battle Boston. Tyler Herro was selected for his first All-Star game this season and is an elite scorer, but he is a liability on defense, and Bam Adebayo can do only so much manning the middle.
The Heat rank in the NBA’s bottom seven in paint scoring and fast-break points. Still, coach Erik Spoelstra is the most talented coach among the four potential Celtics opponents.
Kristaps Porzingis powered his way to a team-high 34 points as the Celtics blew past the Bulls, 122-100, back on Jan. 29 at TD Garden.
Kristaps Porzingis powered his way to a team-high 34 points as the Celtics blew past the Bulls, 122-100, back on Jan. 29 at TD Garden.Erin Clark/Globe Staff
Chicago Bulls
The Celtics won the season series against Chicago, 3-1. The Bulls would need to leapfrog two teams just to reach the 7/8 play-in game, and they should be considered the Celtics’ least likely opponent among these four.
Like Atlanta, Chicago turned its focus toward the future when it traded leading scorer Zach LaVine to the Kings last month.
The Bulls minus-3.5 net rating is the worst among the Celtics’ four potential opponents. Some teams have challenged the Celtics on the offensive glass, but that won’t be an issue against the Bulls, who rank 28th in offensive rebounding percentage.
The Hawks have Young, the Magic have Banchero, and the Heat have Herro, but Chicago simply doesn’t have an offensive player capable of taking over a series.
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Celtics forward Jaylen Brown (knee) will miss Tuesday’s game against the Nets, and forward Jayson Tatum (knee) is questionable.
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at adam.himmelsbach@globe.com. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.