As the NBA regular season continues to wind to a close, every day and game is becoming more and more important in a tight Eastern Conference — and Wednesday is set to be a massive day with some massive games.
As the Philadelphia 76ers sit smack in the middle of a cluster of about six teams within reach of each other for seeds No. 5 through 10, it’s important to be aware of everything going on around them right now. Winning is obviously paramount for the Sixers, but it doesn’t control their destiny.
So let’s take a look at what happened last night while the 76ers were off, how things shifted in the East, and the major day ahead.
Last night (Tuesday, March 31)
Here was the Eastern Conference before any games were played on Tuesday:
Three of the six relevant teams played yesterday: the Toronto Raptors, who started the day No. 5 in the East, the Orlando Magic (No. 8) and the Charlotte Hornets (No. 10).
The Raptors fell 127-116 to the East-leading Detroit Pistons, shifting them back from the No. 5 seed to the No. 6 seed and now half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks, who take over that fifth spot.
The Magic and Hornets, however, both won their contests. They remain in their same positions after the victories, but gain half a game of ground on the teams ahead of them, including the Sixers.
Today (Wednesday, April 1)
Now, let’s see how things look today.
Comparing from yesterday and as mentioned above, Tuesday saw the Hawks overtake the Raptors by half a game for No. 5 while the Magic and Hornets each add a game in the win column.
What these results mean for the Sixers is that they now are just a game back from the No. 6 seed (Raptors), while holding just a single game lead over the Magic (No. 8) and a game and half over the Hornets (No. 10), losing a half a game of ground to each via their victories.
Looking at the photo above, all five teams highlighted play tonight, including Philadelphia. The No. 7 Sixers have a favorable matchup against a tanking Washington Wizards squad that have won just one of their last 20 contests.
The No. 6 Raptors, however, also face a tanking team in the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are slightly more threatening than the Wizards, having won seven of their last 20 games by comparison, but Toronto are still set to be heavy favorites even on the second leg of a back-to-back.
A huge matchup amongst the five teams features two playing one another — the No. 5 Hawks against the No. 8 Magic. A reminder that the Sixers have the tiebreaker over the Magic, but the Hawks have the tiebreaker over the Sixers.
Last but certainly not least we have the No. 9 Heat, currently a game and a half behind the Sixers, facing off with the tough Boston Celtics. This is good news for Philadelphia, who do not have the tiebreaker over Miami.
So, in summary, here are the games to pay attention to tonight:
No. 7 Sixers at Wizards, 7 p.m. ET
No. 5 Hawks at No. 8 Magic, 7 p.m. ET
Celtics at No. 9 Heat, 7:30 p.m. ET
Kings at No. 6 Raptors, 8 p.m. ET
Just over 10 days left in the regular season. Here we go!
