The Nets and Bucks could try to manipulate the NBA schedule by playing with fire.

Or, rather, by playing to avoid the Heat.

The Nets hold a one-game lead in the chase for the No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the second round of the playoffs, but the Bucks hold the tiebreaker based on the head-to-head, regular-season series. Both teams play back-to-back games to close out the regular season, beginning Saturday with Nets-Bulls at 1 p.m. followed by Bucks-Heat at 8 p.m.

“I’m not too concerned where we are at in the standings,” Nets forward Jeff Green said. “For me, it’s about health. Regardless, there is going to be a tough road ahead to get where we want to be.”

True. But how about tough versus tougher?

If the Nets were to lose, the Bucks would land in the driver’s seat and could go full throttle to win out and secure No. 2. If the Nets were to win, the ball would be in the Bucks’ court to decide between: 1) Playing to win and thus kicking the pressure back to the Nets to play a full lineup Sunday and lock up No. 2 by beating the Cavaliers. 2) Taking a foot off the gas, resting Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton against the Heat and being content at No. 3 regardless of their own result Sunday against the Bulls.

The second option isn’t as crazy as it sounds if the end goal is to avoid a first-round matchup with the dangerous Heat.

With one more loss, Miami, the defending Eastern Conference champion, could slide to No. 6 and be either the Nets’ or Bucks’ first-round problem. If the Heat win out — with or without the Bucks’ gentle assistance — they stay in a No. 4-No. 5 first-round series and loom as the 76ers’ likely second-round opponent. In that case, Sunday’s games would be irrelevant and the Nets would open the playoffs against a play-in tournament survivor and the Bucks likely would draw the Knicks.

The Bucks can’t say that they are tanking a game, or that they are dodging the Heat. What message of confidence would that send to fans and players? But a wink-wink scenario is recognizable in the NBA.

“We’d like second,” Nets coach Steve Nash said. “We’ll see what happens [Friday night and Saturday] around the league. It’s not something that is do-or-die. At the same time, we’ll see how this goes and we’ll make the subsequent decisions based on what happens, and then be prepared for Sunday.”

The injury-plagued Nets might be more hesitant than the Bucks to push their stars in back-to-back games, but the week of rest before the playoffs provides a nice cushion. It’s essentially a chess match, with a careful-what-you-wish-for warning if either favorite gets too creative to manipulate matchups.

“As far as playoff prep, that is underway,” Nash said. “I’m definitely going to look forward to seeing the results, but I am not watching the scoreboard. I think we have to worry about ourselves.”

It’s a situation of the Nets’ own doing. They lost back-to-back games in Milwaukee two weeks ago when one win would’ve secured the tiebreaker. And they sat Kevin Durant in a loss to the 76ers on April 14 rather than pushing him to play on consecutive nights soon after returning from a hamstring injury. Had the Nets won that game, all other things being equal, they would control their own destiny for the No. 1 seed this weekend.

Instead, all eyes are on the Bucks and whether a potential Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals would be in Milwaukee or Brooklyn. To be determined by Sunday.