West Opponents Stand in 76ers’ Path to Playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers took down the Miami Heat in a crucial matchup but failed to take down two Western opponents last week. In three out of four games this week, they will again be facing West teams, and three of their games also come on the road. With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, this will be a tough stretch for the Sixers. Philadelphia is still eighth in the East at a record of 38-32, looking to fight their way out of the Play-In Tournament.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

On Monday night, the 76ers hosted the heat and came out victorious in a defensive-focused game, 98-91. The disheveled Miami roster without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, and Duncan Robinson failed to get their offense going against the Sixers’ defense. On the other hand, Tyrese Maxey had a massive performance of 30 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds, just shy of a triple-double. However, Philadelphia’s west coast tour was a bit sour, including two losses against the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers. Both these teams are fighting for a spot out of the Play-In, eerily similar to the Sixers’ situation. The game against Phoenix was horrendous offensively as Maxey scored just six, and the team shot 7-18 (38.9%) from the free throw line. While Maxey had a bounce-back game against the Lakers with 27 points, the team still struggled offensively, shooting 34.4% from the field.

West Coast Tour Continues for the Sixers

This week, the Sixers’ west coast tour continues with Sunday and Monday holding games at the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, respectively. The Clippers then come to Philadelphia on Wednesday night to face off for the second time this week. On Friday, the 76ers go back to Eastern playoff competition and travel to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers. The Cavs are not statistically out of reach for the Sixers, but they do stand five games apart. Since Philadelphia does have at the minimum a Play-In spot locked, the remaining games will need to be wins to slowly chip their way out of the Play-In and guarantee a playoff slot. However, as time goes on, a deep playoff run for the 76ers heavily depends on Joel Embiid‘s return late in the season which is looking doubtful.