Sixers' magic number to clinch top seed in East still at one, Nets hope Magic strikes twice

Any combination of a Nets loss or a Philadelphia victory in either of the final two games of the NBA regular season will assure the Sixers the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Nets have no margin for error as they will have to win against Chicago and Cleveland and hope that Orlando steals consecutive games against Philadelphia. The Sixers own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Brooklyn, so even if they finish with identical records, Philadelphia would hold on to home court advantage throughout the Eastern bracket.

With the CDC issuing brand new guidelines about social gatherings and mass wearing indoors and outdoors for vaccinated individuals, States may slowly allow for venues to increase fan capacity across the NBA and other sport leagues. Home court advantage is not necessarily as impactful as it's been a non-pandemic years, but it nonetheless can be a determining factor in a close series, especially if fans are allowed to begin filling arenas in time for the playoffs.