Bradley Beal and the Wizards will face the Celtics in the State Farm Play-In Tournament.

The 2021 postseason is finally here. And before we get to the playoffs, we begin with the Play-In, four teams in each conference playing for the final two spots in the first round.

In the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards are playing for the 7 seed on Tuesday (9 ET, TNT) and a series with the Brooklyn Nets. The Indiana Pacers and Charlotte Hornets are fighting to stay alive. The winner of Pacers-Hornets on Tuesday (6:30 ET, TNT) will face the loser of Celtics-Wizards on Thursday. And the winner of that game will advance to face the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in a best-of-seven.

• Play-In Tournament preview | Complete Play-In coverage

Before the games tip off, here are some statistical notes to get you ready for the 7-8 and 9-10 games in the East, with links to let you dive in and explore more.

Pace = Possessions per 48 minutes
OffRtg = Points scored per 100 possessions
DefRtg = Points allowed per 100 possessions
NetRtg = Point differential per 100 possessions

Boston Celtics (36-36)

Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and the Celtics will secure the No. 7 seed with a win on Tuesday.

Pace: 98.9 (20)
OffRtg: 113.1 (10)
DefRtg: 111.8 (13)
NetRtg: +1.2 (13)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. Washington: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Celtics notes – General:

1. Finished with a .500 record for just the second time in the franchise’s 75 seasons. The other time was also in a 72-game season (1954-55).
2. Would have the Eastern Conference’s longest active playoff streak (seven seasons) if they win on Tuesday or Thursday. Only team still alive that has won a playoff series in each of the last four years (Houston and Toronto have also done so, but did not qualify for the playoffs or the Play-In).
3. Played 43 games, most in the league, that were within five points in the last five minutes. Were 17-26 (0.395, fourth worst in the league) in those games and 19-10 (0.655) otherwise. Had the point differential (+1.5 per game, sixth best in the East) of a team that was 40-32.

Celtics 2020-21 shot profile:

%FGA = Percentage of total field goal attempts

Celtics notes – Offense:

1. Ranked in the top 10 offensively for the fourth time in the last five seasons, but saw a jump of only 0.3 points per 100 possessions from last season while the league average jumped 1.6 per 100.
2. Only 60% of their 3-point attempts, the league’s second lowest rate, were catch-and-shoot attempts. Ranked 14th in pull-up effective field goal percentage (45.9%) after leading the league last season (48.8%).
3. Ranked last in effective field goal percentage in the last six seconds of the shot clock (41.5%), according to Second Spectrum tracking.

Celtics four factors:

eFG% = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
FTA Rate = FTA/FGA
TO% = Turnovers per 100 possessions
OREB% = Percentage of available offensive rebounds obtained

Celtics notes – Defense:

1. Saw the league’s third biggest jump (+5.3) in points allowed per 100 possessions, from 106.5 (fourth) last season to 111.8 (13th) this season.
2. Ranked 22nd in opponent 3-point percentage (37.4%), ending a streak of 13 straight seasons in the top six.
3. Ranked third in the (lowest) percentage of their opponents’ shots that came in the restricted area (27%), but 21st in opponent restricted area field goal percentage (65.2%).

Celtics notes – Lineups:

1. Most-used lineup played only 131 total minutes, fewest among the most-used lineups for the 20 teams that reached the postseason. It included Daniel Theis, who was traded in March. Most-used five-man lineup that doesn’t include Theis, Jaylen Brown (out for the season) or Jeff Teague (also traded) played just 39 minutes together.
2. Outscored their opponents by 14.4 points per 100 possessions with Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Evan Fournier and Jayson Tatum on the floor together, but that was in just 95 total minutes.
3. Scored 8.9 points more points per 100 possessions with Tatum on the floor (114.8) than they did with him off the floor (105.9). That was tied for the 15th biggest on-off OffRtg differential among 233 players who played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.

Celtics notes – Individuals:

1. Evan Fournier had a higher effective field goal percentage in 16 games with the Celtics (57.6%) than he did in 26 games with the Magic (56.0%), but his free throw rate went down from 33.3 attempts per 100 shots from the field with Orlando to just 8.1 per 100 with Boston.
2. Payton Pritchard shot 76-for-152 (46.7%) on catch-and-shoot 3s, the fifth best mark among 138 players who attempted at least 150.
3. Marcus Smart ranked seventh in the league with 3.3 deflections per game.
4. Jayson Tatum was one of three players – Stephen Curry and Bradley Beal were the others – with multiple 50-point games this season. He led the league in fourth-quarter scoring at 7.5 points per game, and also led the league with eight buckets (on 15 attempts) to tie or take the lead in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.
5. Tatum scored 1.39 points per possession in transition, the fifth best mark among 134 players with at least 100 transition possessions, according to Synergy tracking.
6. Tristan Thompson averaged just 0.8 deflections per 36 minutes, fifth fewest among 251 players who played at least 1,000 minutes.
7. Kemba Walker shot just 38.9% (51-for-131) on pull-up 2-pointers, down from 47.0% (70-for-149) last season.
8. Walker led the league with 0.51 drawn charges per game.
9. Grant Williams committed 5.1 fouls per 36 minutes, the second highest rate among 251 players who played at least 1,000 minutes.
10. Robert Williams III did not qualify for the official field goal percentage leaders, but his mark of 72.1% (186-for-258) was the fifth highest (also the fifth highest effective field goal percentage) in NBA history for a player with at least 100 field goal attempts.
11. Williams ranked seventh in blocks per game (1.8). His 3.3 blocks per 36 minutes were fourth most among 362 players who played at least 500 minutes.

Washington Wizards (34-38)

Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and the Wizards surged up the standings to finish the regular season.

Pace: 104.7 (1)
OffRtg: 110.7 (17)
DefRtg: 112.3 (20)
NetRtg: -1.6 (22)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. Boston: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Wizards notes – General:

1. Played five of the six fastest-paced games in the league this season, including the second fastest-paced game (May 3 vs. Indiana) in the 25 years for which we have play-by-play data. Won seven of their eight fastest-paced games of the season.
2. Were outscored by 128 total points in the first quarters of games, and by only four points thereafter.
3. Ranked 28th in time of possession (19.9 minutes per game).

Wizards 2020-21 shot profile:

%FGA = Percentage of total field goal attempts

Wizards notes – Offense:

1. Saw the league’s biggest jump in points in the paint per game, from 45.6 (24th) last season to 52.8 (fifth) this season.
2. Took only 31.9% of their shots, the league’s second lowest rate, from 3-point range. 79% of their 3-point attempts, the league’s second highest rate, were catch-and-shoot attempts.
3. Led the league with 25.1 transition points per game, according to Synergy tracking. Took 18% of their shots, the league’s highest rate, in the first six seconds of the shot clock, according to Second Spectrum tracking, though they ranked just 26th in effective field goal percentage in the first six seconds (58.7%).

Wizards four factors:

eFG% = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
FTA Rate = FTA/FGA
TO% = Turnovers per 100 possessions
OREB% = Percentage of available offensive rebounds obtained

Wizards notes – Defense:

1. Saw the league’s third biggest drop (-2.4) in points allowed per 100 possessions, from 114.7 (29th) last season to 112.3 (20th) this season.
2. Opponents took 16% of their shots, the league’s highest rate, from mid-range (between the paint and the 3-point line). Allowed 21.5 points per game, the league’s third highest opponent mark, from pick-and-roll ball-handlers.
3. Ranked second in charges drawn per game (1.13).

Wizards notes – Lineups:

1. Most-used lineup played only 134 total minutes, second fewest among the most-used lineups for the 20 teams that reached the postseason. It included Mo Wagner, who was traded in March. Their next two most-used lineups (91 and 90 minutes) each included Deni Avdija, who is out for the season.
2. The Wizards scored 12.5 more points per 100 possessions with Bradley Beal on the floor (114.6) than they did with him off the floor (102.1). That was the fourth biggest on-off differential for offensive efficiency among 233 players who played at least 1,000 minutes for a single team.
3. The Wizards averaged 107.2 possessions per 48 minutes with Westbrook on the floor. That was the highest on-court mark among 345 players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game.

Wizards notes – Individuals:

1. Bradley Beal ranked second in the league in scoring for the second straight season, averaging a career-high 31.3 points per game. He took just 27% of his shots, the lowest rate of his career, from 3-point range.
2. Beal ranked third in usage rate, using 33.1% of the Wizards’ possessions (via field goal attempts, turnovers or trips to the line) while he was on the floor. He accounted for 34.3% of the team’s shots while he was on the floor, the highest rate among 362 players who played at least 500 minutes.
3. Davis Bertans took 89.5% of his shots, the highest rate among 250 players with at least 300 field goal attempts, from 3-point range. He led the league with 6.8 catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts per game. The 40.8% he shot on catch-and-shoot 3s ranked 31st among 86 players who attempted at least 200. He accounted for 48.3% of the Wizards’ 3-pointers while he was on the floor, the highest rate among 362 players who played at least 500 minutes.
4. Daniel Gafford blocked 3.4 shots per 36 minutes, third most among 362 players who played at least 500 minutes.
5. Rui Hachimura allowed just 0.63 points per possession on isolations, the third best mark among 86 players who defended at least 50, according to Synergy tracking.
6. Robin Lopez scored 1.23 points per possession on post-ups, the best mark among 29 players with at least 100 post-up possessions.
7. Ish Smith passed on 60.1% of his drives, the third highest rate among 130 players who averaged at least five drives per game.
8. Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in the last five seasons. His 11.5 rebounds per game (sixth in the league) and 11.7 assists per game (first) were both career-high marks.
9. Westbrook assisted on 47.7% of his team’s buckets while he was on the floor. That was the highest rate among 345 players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game. He led the league with 34 clutch assists.
10. Westbrook ranked last in both points per possession (0.78) on isolations (minimum 100 possessions) and points per possession (0.71) as a pick-and-roll ball-handler (minimum 300 possessions).

* * *

Celtics-Wizards regular season matchup

Celtics won season series, 2-1

• Celtics 116, Wizards 107 (Jan. 8 @ Boston)
• Wizards 104, Celtics 91 (Feb. 14 @ Washington)
• Celtics 111, Wizards 110 (Feb. 28 @ Boston)

Pace: 105.2 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes
Boston OffRtg: 100.6 (28th vs. Washington)
Washington OffRtg: 101.9 (25th vs. Boston)

Total points scored, season series:

Matchup notes:

1. All three games took place before the trade deadline, when Boston acquired Evan Fournier and Washington acquired Daniel Gafford. Kemba Walker and Marcus Smart did not play together in any of the three meetings. Walker missed the Jan. 8 game, which was the only one in which Smart played. Tristan Thompson (Jan. 8) and Jaylen Brown (Feb. 28) each missed one of the three games for Boston.
2. Both teams scored fewer than the league average for points scored per 100 possessions (111.7) in all three games. The Feb. 14 game was the Celtics’ second least efficient game (91 points on 107 possessions) and the Wizards’ best defensive game of the season.
3. The Feb. 14 game was also Jayson Tatum’s lowest scoring game of the season: six points on 3-for-14 shooting. He totaled 63 points on 26-for-49 (53%) shooting in the Celtics’ two wins. His free throw rate over the three games (6 FTA, 63 FGA) was tied for his third lowest vs. any opponent. His primary defender in the season series was Bradley Beal.
4. Beal averaged 40.7 points per game, the second highest mark against the Celtics this season. He had two of the five highest-scoring games against Boston: 46 points on Feb. 28 and 41 on Jan. 8.
5. Russell Westbrook’s effective field goal percentage of 37.7% was the fourth worst mark among 90 players with at least 25 field goal attempts against the Celtics this season. He shot 8-for-11 in the restricted area and 12-for-46 (26%) outside it.

Indiana Pacers (34-38)

The Pacers enter the Play-In Tournament with a chance to salvage an up-and-down season.

Pace: 102.1 (4)
OffRtg: 111.9 (14)
DefRtg: 111.9 (14)
NetRtg: +0.1 (16)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. Charlotte: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Pacers notes – General:

1. Saw the league’s second biggest jump in pace, from 99.4 possessions per 48 minutes (22nd) last season to 102.1 (fourth) this season.
2. Ranked 29th in rebounding percentage (47.6) and were the only team that ranked in the bottom five in both offensive (26th) and defensive (30th) rebounding percentage.
3. Were 31-9 (15th best) after leading by double-digits and 8-31 (19th best) after trailing by double-digits.

Pacers 2020-21 shot profile:

%FGA = Percentage of total field goal attempts

Pacers notes – Offense:

1. Ranked third with 23.9 transition points per game, according to Synergy tracking. Were one of two teams – the Hornets were the other – that ranked in the top five in both the percentage of their shots that came in the first six seconds of the shot clock (16.6%, third) and effective field goal percentage in the first six seconds (63.8%, third), according to Second Spectrum tracking.
2. Ranked second in ball movement (364 passes per 24 minutes of possession) and first in player movement (11.9 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession). Were the league’s fastest moving team on offense, averaging 4.80 miles per hour.
3. Were one of three teams that scored less than a point per possession with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Pacers four factors:

eFG% = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
FTA Rate = FTA/FGA
TO% = Turnovers per 100 possessions
OREB% = Percentage of available offensive rebounds obtained

Pacers notes – Defense:

1. Led the league in both deflections per game (16.8) and blocks per game (6.4).
2. 36% of their opponents’ shots, the league’s highest opponent rate by a comfortable margin, came in the restricted area. They allowed a league-high 40.4 points per game in the restricted area.
3. Played 651 possessions of zone, third most in the league, according to Synergy play-type tracking. The 1.05 points per possession their zone defense allowed ranked 18th among the 23 teams who played at least 100 total possessions of zone.

Pacers notes – Lineups:

1. Lineup of Brogdon, LeVert, Justin Holiday, Sabonis and Turner scored just 97.8 points per 100 possessions, the second worst mark among 45 lineups that played at least 150 minutes together.
2. Were outscored by 2.3 points per 100 possessions in 1,058 minutes with Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner on the floor together and by 1.1 per 100 in 1,174 minutes with Sabonis on the floor without Turner. But were a +11.6 per 100 in 398 minutes with Turner on the floor without Sabonis.
3. Since Oshae Brissett signed with the Pacers on April 1, they’ve been 9.9 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor (+6.0) than they’ve been with him off the floor (-3.3).

Pacers notes – Individuals:

1. Goga Bitadze averaged 3.8 blocks per 36 minutes, second most among 362 players who played at least 500 minutes.
2. For the second straight season, Malcolm Brogdon had the second worst field goal percentage in the restricted area (53.2%) among players with at least 200 restricted-area attempts (better than only the mark of Coby White both seasons).
3. Justin Holiday ranked fourth with 75 corner 3s. The 43.4% he shot on corner 3s ranked 10th among 28 players who attempted at least 100.
4. Caris LeVert saw the fourth biggest jump in free throw percentage (from 71.1% to 81.1%) among 70 players with at least 150 attempts in each of the last two seasons.
5. LeVert had a true shooting percentage of 53.1%, the third lowest mark among 40 players who averaged at least 20 points per game.
6. T.J. McConnell ranked second in steals per game (1.9) and third in deflections per 36 minutes (3.5).
7. McConnell shot 72-for-128 (56.3%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the best mark among 99 players who attempted at least 100.
8. Doug McDermott scored 1.40 points per possession in transition, the third best mark among 132 players with at least 100 transition possessions, according to Synergy tracking. McConnell had the fourth worst mark (0.82).
9. McDermott and McConnell averaged 4.70 and 4.65 miles per hour, respectively. Those were the two fastest rates among 248 players who played at least 1,000 total minutes.
10. Domantas Sabonis was one of eight players to average at least 20 points, six rebounds and six assists per game.
11. Sabonis ranked second in touches (97.3) and frontcourt touches (54.7) per game.
12. Edmond Sumner averaged 5.1 fast break points per 36 minutes, most among 362 players that played at least 500 total minutes.
13. Myles Turner led the league with 3.4 blocks per game and 3.9 blocks per 36 minutes. He defended 9.5 shots at the rim per game, 1.8 more than any other player. The 49.6% that opponents shot at the rim when he was there to protect it was the third best mark among 70 players who defended at least 200 total shots at the rim.

Charlotte Hornets (33-39)

LaMelo Ball, Devonte’ Graham and the Hornets need to win twice to reach the playoffs.

Pace: 99.0 (18)
OffRtg: 110.1 (23)
DefRtg: 112.0 (16)
NetRtg: -1.9 (23)

Regular season: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

vs. Indiana: Team stats | Advanced splits | Player stats | Player shooting | Lineups

Hornets notes – General:

1. Saw the league’s ninth biggest jump in winning percentage (from 0.354 to 0.458) and its sixth biggest jump in point differential per 100 possessions (from -7.0 to -1.9). When you account for the league average jumping 1.6 per 100, improvement was about even on both ends of the floor.
2. Saw the league’s biggest jump in pace, from 96.2 possessions per 48 minutes (30th) last season to 99.0 (18th) this season.
3. Were 26-12 (0.684) after leading by double-digits. That mark ranked 22nd and was the worst among the 20 teams that qualified for the postseason. But their record when leading after the third quarter (27-3) was the fourth best in the league.

Hornets 2020-21 shot profile:

%FGA = Percentage of total field goal attempts

Hornets notes – Offense:

1. Led the league in assist percentage, recording assists on 67.2% of their field goals. Ranked third in ball movement (361 passes per 24 minutes of possession) and second in player movement (11.8 miles traveled per 24 minutes of possession). Were the league’s second fastest moving team on offense, averaging 4.70 miles per hour.
2. Were one of two teams – the Pacers were the other – that ranked in the top five in both the percentage of their shots that came in the first six seconds of the shot clock (16.4%, fifth) and effective field goal percentage in the first six seconds (63.5%, fourth), according to Second Spectrum tracking. Saw the bigger drop-off in effective field goal percentage to the last 18 seconds of the clock (51.4%, 22nd).
3. Ranked second in clutch offense, scoring 122.3 points per 100 possessions with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Hornets four factors:

eFG% = (FGM + (0.5 * 3PM)) / FGA
FTA Rate = FTA/FGA
TO% = Turnovers per 100 possessions
OREB% = Percentage of available offensive rebounds obtained

Hornets notes – Defense:

1. Opponents took 78% of their shots, the league’s highest opponent rate by a wide margin, from the restricted area (33%, third highest) or 3-point range (45%, second highest). Allowed a league-high 4.5 corner 3-pointers per game, with the Jazz’s 15 corner 3s on Feb. 22 being tied for the most in a game in the 25 seasons for which we have shot-location data. 88% of their opponents’ 3-pointers, the league’s third highest opponent rate, were assisted.
2. Allowed a league-low 10.3 points per game from pick-and-roll ball-handlers, according to Synergy tracking.
3. Played 901 possessions of zone, most in the league by a wide margin, according to Synergy play-type tracking. The 0.92 points per possession their zone defense allowed ranked third among the 23 teams who played at least 100 total possessions of zone.

Hornets notes – Lineups:

1. Outscored their opponents by 15.6 points per 100 possessions in 150 total minutes with LaMelo Ball, Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier on the floor together.
2. Outscored their opponents by 4.8 points per 100 possessions in 891 total minutes with P.J. Washington at center.
3. Got 36% of their minutes, the league’s fifth highest rate (second highest among teams still playing), from rookies (10%, 13th highest) or second-year players (26%, third highest).

Hornets notes – Individuals:

1. LaMelo Ball was one of 18 players this season and the 14th rookie in NBA history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, joining Michael Carter-Williams (2013-14), Ben Simmons (2017-18) and Luka Doncic (2018-19) as players who’ve done it in the last 10 years.
2. Ball traveled 4.54 miles per hour, the sixth fastest rate among 251 players who played at least 1,000 total minutes.
3. Bismack Biyombo shot 47-for-105 (44.8%) from the free throw line, the second worst mark among 166 players with at least 100 free throw attempts.
4. Miles Bridges had an effective field goal percentage of 59.7%, up from 48.9% last season. That was the fourth biggest jump among 250 players with at least 200 field goal attempts in each of the last two seasons.
5. Devonte’ Graham was one of three players – Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Morris were the others – with at least 100 field goal attempts in the paint and at least 100 field goal attempts from outside the paint (230 players total), shooting better outside (214-for-562, 38.1%) than inside (38-for-108, 35.8%).
6. Malik Monk saw the fourth biggest jump in 3-point percentage (from 28.4% to 40.1%) among 202 players with at least 100 3-point attempts in each of the last two seasons.
7. Terry Rozier shot 103-for-200 (51.5%) on pull-up 2-pointers, the third best mark among 64 players who attempted at least 150.
8. Rozier (14-for-31, 45.2%) and Graham (12-for-28, 42.9%) ranked second and third in clutch 3-point percentage among 20 players with at least 25 attempts.
9. P.J. Washington scored just 1.02 points per possession as a roll men, the third lowest mark among 37 players with at least 100 roll-man possessions, according to Synergy tracking. His 54.1% in the restricted area was the third worst mark among 97 players with at least 200 restricted-area attempts. Ball had the fourth worst mark (54.4%).

Pacers-Hornets regular season matchup

Hornets won season series, 2-1

• Pacers 116, Hornets 106 (Jan. 27 @ Charlotte)
• Hornets 108, Pacers 105 (Jan. 29 @ Charlotte)
• Hornets 114, Pacers 97 (Apr. 2 @ Indiana)

Pace: 99.7 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes
Indiana OffRtg: 106.0 (22nd vs. Charlotte)
Charlotte OffRtg: 110.1 (17th vs. Indiana)

Total points scored, season series:

Matchup notes:

1. Malcolm Brogdon and Caris LeVert didn’t play together in any of the three games. The first two took place before LeVert made his debut for the Pacers, and Brogdon missed the third meeting. Gordon Hayward played in all three games for the Hornets, who were without LaMelo Ball (who came off the bench in the first two games) in the third meeting.
2. The winner of the first quarter won all three games, though the loser erased double-digit deficits in each of the two games in Charlotte.
3. The Hornets’ offense was consistent over all three games: 109, 110 and 111 points scored per 100 possessions. And no Charlotte player scored more than 23 points in any of the three. The Pacers’ offense got much worse with each successive game: 120, 106 and 93 per 100. Doug McDermott’s 28 points in the first game were his second highest total of the season, and he had 24 points total over the other two games.
4. The Pacers recorded assists on 74.4% of their field goals, their highest rate vs. any opponent. Brogdon and T.J. McConnell totaled 36 assists and just nine turnovers.
5. Over the three games, the Pacers played more possessions of zone (25) than the Hornets (19), according to Synergy tracking.

* * *

John Schuhmann is a senior stats analyst for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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