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Celtics clinch a playoff spot thanks to a Heat loss

Jayson Tatum crossed the 2,000-point threshold for the season on Saturday against the Jazz.Rick Bowmer/Associated Press

For the ninth consecutive season, the Celtics are going playoff dancing.

Despite a painful 118-117 loss to the Jazz Saturday night in Utah, the Celtics had their playoff ticket punched thanks to the Heat’s 113-99 loss to the Bulls.

The Celtics’ playoff streak, which began in 2014-15, is the longest in the league. They’ve qualified in 15 of the last 16 years, and 19 of the last 22.

The Celtics are tied with the 76ers for second in the Eastern Conference, trailing the Bucks by two games for the No. 1 seed.

Also during Saturday’s game, Jayson Tatum surpassed 2,000 points on the season, becoming just the fourth player in franchise history to reach the milestone in multiple times, joining Paul Pierce, Larry Bird, and John Havlicek.

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