The Celtics’ opening-round series is likely to start on Sunday against either the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks or the Washington Wizards.
BOSTON – All signs are pointing to Sunday as the day when the Celtics will begin their NBA opening-round playoff series at the TD Garden.
The identity of their opponent in the best-of-seven series, however, probably won’t be known until the conclusion of the regular season on Wednesday night.
The Celtics will be squaring off against either the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks or the Washington Wizards, who are locked in a battle for the sixth, seventh and eighth spots in the Eastern Conference.
Game 1 for the Celtics should be on Sunday since the Bruins will be at the Garden on Saturday for Game 2 of their first-round series.
While the Celtics are locked in as the No. 2 seed in the East, the seventh-seeded team is still undetermined with two games remaining.
The Heat (43-37) are sitting in the sixth spot with the Bucks (also 43-37) sitting No. 7 because of the tiebreaker. The Wizards, losers of four straight games, have fallen into the eighth position with a 42-38 record.
Miami plays its final two games at home, going against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night and the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
The Thunder are locked in a battle for position in the Western Conference and need a win over the Heat, but the Raptors have already secured the top seed in the East.
The Bucks host the lottery-bound Orlando Magic on Monday night, then travel to Philadelphia to go against the 76ers on Wednesday night.
The Wizards, trying to get going after the late-season return of John Wall, entertain the Celtics on Tuesday night before traveling to Orlando on Wednesday night. The Celtics are expected to use different combinations against Washington since they have nothing left to play for and rest will be a priority for the main players.
“We aren’t perfect, there are a lot of things that we need to work on,’’ said rookie Jayson Tatum. “But I think the main focus with (coach) Brad (Stevens) is to make sure we are all well rested and that we are ready.’’
The Celtics will have just 11 players in uniform for the playoffs because of injuries, including four rookies.
Tatum returns: After being held out of Friday’s win over the Chicago Bulls in order to rest, Tatum was back in the lineup and had 19 points and four steals in 30 minutes in a 112-106 loss to the Atlanta Hawks Sunday afternoon.
Missing the game against the Bulls cost Tatum a chance to play all 82 games. Tatum said it was Stevens’ idea to get him some rest before the end of the regular season.
“He called me Thursday and he told me that he was thinking about not playing me on Friday,’’ said Tatum. “He saw somewhere I had mentioned something about wanting to play every game. He wanted to talk to me first to see if I was OK with it. I understand the bigger picture. You don’t get an award or anything or an extra check. I definitely felt extra energy.’’
Around the rim: Marcus Morris was given the day off to get some rest. Morris had been ejected from the previous two home games. “I was joking that I was going to tell you all that we’re sitting to save him money,’’ said Stevens. … Rookie Guerschon Yabusele, who started against the Bulls, was not available due to a sore knee. … Terry Rozier had a chance to record his second triple-double of the season, but did not play in the fourth quarter as Stevens went with the bench. Rozier finished with 10 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in 27 minutes. … After playing in Washington, the Celtics finish the regular season Wednesday at home against the Brooklyn Nets.