Wizards clinch 3rd playoff berth in 4 years

The Washington Wizards clinched a playoff berth for the third time in four years Friday night with their victory over the Brooklyn Nets at the Verizon Center, paired with the Detroit Pistons' loss to the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls' loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Washington failed to qualify in 2015-16 after ending the campaign with a 41-41 record. The team was bounced in the conference semifinals by the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks the prior two seasons.

They join the reigning NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics as the only teams in the Eastern Conference to have secured their places in the postseason, thus far.

With nine games remaining on the schedule, the Wizards are likely to finish with a top-four seed in the East for the first time since 1978-79, when they advanced all the way to the Finals as the No. 1 seed, eventually falling to the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) in five games.