Taking care of business against the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings has given the Sixers a shot at new life. It may not be likely that they’re able to climb out of the Play-In tournament in the Eastern Conference, but it’s a lot more possible than it was a week ago.
It’s good to have something to root for other than draft positioning this time of year. The Houston Rockets managed to have a week that helped both the first-round pick they owe the Sixers, as well as Philly’s standings in the Eastern Conference.
Houston had another middling week with two wins sandwiched in between two losses. Crucially, those two were against the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat, two teams bunched right up with the Sixers in the standings. That’s kept Philly just a game out of the sixth seed.
After knocking off those two opponents, the Rockets surprisingly dropped a game to the tanking Chicago Bulls, dropping their pick all the way down to 21 in the process. That area remains as close as ever — the Rockets are just a half game up on the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves for that 21st spot.
The Rockets will see those Wolves in a nationally televised bout for their next contest. Their week gets easier after that though as they’ll head to Memphis to take on the Grizzlies.
There are still plenty of draft prospects to watch as the NCAA Tournament progresses to the Sweet-16 and Elite-8. Alabama and Houston are still alive with multiple guys that have gone to the Sixers in different mock drafts.
Michigan’s center Aday Mara put up 19 and 16 points in his first two games of the tournament, respectively. Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. put up 21 and 15.
Iowa State is still rolling as well, although there hasn’t really been a chance to get a look at Joshua Jefferson in the tournament. Jefferson hurt his ankle early in the round of 64 and missed the next round. The team is hopeful he can return for the tournament, but that is very much up in the air.
