The Philadelphia 76ers are riding a red-hot seven game win streak with just one game left in the regular season. They currently sit at 46-35 as the Eastern Conference’s seven seed with a three-way tie against the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic. The Sixers host the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow afternoon and will need some help to get out of the Play-In Tournament and into the playoff.
A Crucial Winning Stretch for Philadelphia
Last week, the 76ers won 133-126 in a double overtime thriller against the San Antonio Spurs to start the week. Tyrese Maxey posted a career-high 52 points in an amazing duel against Victor Wembanyama‘s 33 points, 18 rebounds, and seven blocks. Philadelphia also took care of business against the Detroit Pistons winning 120-102 behind Joel Embiid‘s 37-point and 11-rebound effort. Finally, the Sixers defeated the Magic 125-113 in a crucial game to put them in the hopeful spot they are now. Embiid, Maxey, adn Kelly Oubre Jr. had a combined 81 points in the win.
Playoff Seeding Scenarios for the Sixers
With Philadelphia playing Brooklyn on Sunday, the other significant games include the Heat vs. the Raptors, the Magic vs. the Bucks, and the Pacers vs. the Hawks. If all teams were to win, the 76ers would stay put and host the Heat in the Play-In as the seven seed. However, if everyone but the Magic win, the Sixers would jump up to the six seed, still behind Indiana, and likely facing the Knicks in round one.
The ideal scenario is for Philadelphia to win and have the Pacers and Magic losing to jump up to the number five slot. Although with the second and third seed up for grabs, the Sixers’ first round opponent is undetermined. Ultimately, there is a lot of chaos up in the air regarding the NBA post-season, and with a lot hinging on other teams, the 76ers’ main goal to stay out of the Play-In is to just win and keep what they can in control to make a potential deep playoff run. Since, if the Sixers lose, they could fall to eight assuming the other three teams in the hunt win their games as projected.
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