Looking at the ways Sixers’ final day could shake out in standings

Looking at the ways Sixers’ final day could shake out in standings originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Game No. 82 looms.

Ahead of the Sixers’ final game of the regular season Sunday night vs. the Bucks, below is a refresher on the No. 5 through No. 10 range of the Eastern Conference standings. The first through sixth seeds will advance to the playoffs. The seventh through 10th will compete in the play-in tournament for the East’s final two playoff spots.

Advertisement

And here’s a look at how things could shake out for the Sixers:

For Sixers to finish sixth

The one scenario in which the Sixers would finish is sixth: Sixers win, Raptors and Magic lose.

In that case, all three teams would be 45-37 and the Sixers would win the tiebreaker.

Is that series of events plausible? It could happen, but the odds appear quite small. Orlando will face the 55-26 Celtics and Toronto will take on the 20-61 Nets. Boston’s locked in as the East’s No. 2 seed and Brooklyn’s next major event on the calendar is the NBA draft lottery.

Unsurprisingly, both the Celtics and Nets have long injury lists. Brooklyn’s many absences include Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Terance Mann and Egor Demin. The Celtics will sit plenty of regulars, among them Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Neemias Queta.

Advertisement

On a positive note for the Sixers, the Bucks are shorthanded and nowhere near postseason contention. They should beat Milwaukee at home.

For Sixers to finish seventh

The Sixers need a win to have a shot at the seventh seed, which would mean hosting the first game of the play-in tournament instead of traveling.

The following two scenarios would lead to the Sixers being No. 7:

Sixers win, Raptors win, Magic lose

Sixers win, Raptors lose, Magic win

The first outcome would mean that the Sixers play the Magic in that No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup. The second would mean that they’d host Toronto.

Of those two potential play-in opponents, there’s not a no-brainer choice for which the Sixers would prefer. They split the four-game season series vs. the Raptors. While the Sixers did win two of three games…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/looking-ways-sixers-final-day-231335241.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-04-11 23:13:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.