How Wednesday's results impact the playoff picture in the East and West

Entering a busy night in the NBA, there were six games with significant playoff implications as the race for seedings continued.

The Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat were fighting to keep their seasons alive, while the Houston Rockets, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City and Denver Nuggets jostled for positioning in the Western Conference. 

PLAYOFF PICTURE: How the playoffs would look if they started today

Here's how today's results impacted both conferences.

Eastern Conference playoff picture

The Detroit Pistons move one step closer to securing a berth in the playoffs, rallying from 22 points down to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-93.

They cling to the eighth seed, as they turn their focus with a matchup against the New York Knicks in their final game of the regular season, with a victory ensuring they'll return to the playoffs after a two-year absence. 

"I’m just happy that we still control our own destiny," Detroit’s Reggie Jackson said post-game.

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets cruised to a 124-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, their fourth in a row, ensuring their race for the eighth seed continues on to the final day of the regular season. They take on the seventh-seed Orlando Magic in a must-win game, but their fate lies in the hands of the Pistons. If the Pistons lose and the Hornets win, Charlotte will claim the eighth seed, given they hold the tie-breaker over Detroit.

Despite beating the Philadelphia 76ers 122-99, behind a 30-point performance from Dwyane Wade in front of the Miami crowd, the Heat were eliminated from playoff contention, thanks to Detroit's win over Memphis. However, they can still impact the playoff picture as they take on the Brooklyn Nets in their final game of the season. If they beat the Nets and the Magic win in Charlotte, Brooklyn and Orlando will trade places in the standings.

* - Clinched Playoff Berth

Wednesday's games that will decide the seedings

• Magic @ Hornets | 5:30 am IST

• Pistons @ Knicks | 5:30 am IST

• Heat @ Nets | 5:30 am IST

Western Conference playoff picture

The Western Conference remains as wild as ever, with the race for seedings still alive 2 through 8. 

Paul George's game-winning three-pointer against the Houston Rockets put OKC a full game clear of the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers while dashing the Rockets' hopes of finishing with the #2 seed.

The Thunder take on the Milwaukee Bucks on the final day of the regular season, who will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez . A win against the Bucks will seal the sixth seed and avoid a first-round matchup with the Golden State Warriors, however, the Spurs and Clippers still have a chance to move into the 6th and 7th seeds with wins and an OKC loss. The Clippers face a tough task against the fifth-seed Utah Jazz, who have locked up the #5 seed, while the Spurs take on the Dallas Mavericks in Dirk Nowitzki's final game.  

The Denver Nuggets' loss to the Utah Jazz creates a three-way race in the top four, with the Rockets, Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers all fighting for position.

If the Nuggets lose to the Timberwolves, the Rockets will go second, however, a win for the Nuggets and a Trail Blazers victory over the Sacramento Kings will slide the Rockets down to fourth.

* - Clinched Playoff Berth

Wednesday's that will decide the seedings

• Mavericks @ Spurs | 5:30 am IST

• Thunder @ Bucks | 5:30 am IST

• Jazz @ Clippers | 8:00 am IST

• Timberwolves @ Nuggets | 8:00 am IST

• Kings @ Blazers | 8:00 am IST