A home preliminary final has been confirmed for the Southern Steel.
The side's chances of sneaking the ANZ Premiership's top spot, and a home final, were ended on Monday night when the Central Pulse beat the Northern Stars 66-48.
That took the Pulse to 25 points, three ahead of the Steel, putting it out of reach with one game left.
However, the Steel's opponent for its August 8 showdown remains unknown.
The Mainland Tactix and Northern Mystics are both a chance of claiming the third and final playoff spot.
The Tactix has a leg up in third place on 17 points.
However, it has only one game left, while the Mystics is on 15 points but with two games left.
Both sides have a game remaining against the struggling Magic and will enter those as favourite.
The crucial match-up will be between the Mystics and Pulse in Wellington.
While that makes for the toughest possible road in, the Pulse's form has become shaky of late.
Two of its three losses have come in July, after looking near unbeatable early in the season.
Its one loss prior to that came against the Mystics.
If the sides finish tied, goal percentage will separate them.
At the moment that could not be more even either, the Tactix ahead by 1% in that regard.
The first of those three games is tonight when the Mystics face the Magic.
The Tactix plays the Magic on Monday, while the Mystics' match against the Pulse is next Wednesday.
The Steel has one more game before its preliminary final. It plays the Northern Stars in Auckland on Sunday.
