The Washington Wizards take on the Boston Celtics in the seventh-eighth match-up, with the winner to face second seed Brooklyn Nets in the official NBA playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers also face the Charlotte Hornets in a sudden death encounter in the East, with the winner to face the loser of the Wizards-Celtic meeting.
But the Wizards’ case has been made a little bit harder by Beal’s hamstring concern which is not 100 per cent.
He did play 35 minutes in Sunday’s 115-110 win over the Hornets, scoring 25 points with six rebounds and said he got through okay.
“There’s no setbacks which is good,” Beal said. “I didn’t injure it any worse than what it was.
“Obviously it still probably won’t be 100 percent. It is just a matter of managing it as best I can.”
Beal added: “I felt good. I would say I am not as sore as I thought I would be. Not as beat up as I would have thought.”
Russell Westbrook has been the Wizards’ star man in the back-half of the season, breaking the record for most-ever triple-doubles in NBA history.
Meanwhile, the Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown who is out for the rest of the season with a wrist injury.