Well, technically, the Brooklyn Nets’ victory over the Orlando Magic had little to do with finally securing the Eastern conference’s six-seed to avoid the dreaded play-in tournament. The Miami Heat took care of that for Brooklyn, losing to the Washington Wizards about half-an-hour before Brooklyn wrapped up their comfortable home win.
Neither Florida team really threatened Brooklyn on Friday night. The Heat seemingly accepted their play-in fate hours before their tip-off, deciding to rest a majority of their key rotation players. The Magic, despite having nothing to play for, did something similar, ruling out presumptive Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, as well as their first and second-string centers.