The Philadelphia 76ers now have four games remaining after they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks on the road on Sunday 117-104. Joel Embiid had 28 points and nine rebounds and Tyrese Maxey had 29, but James Harden had an off night as he finished with 11 points on 4-for-9 shooting with six assists and five turnovers.
The loss ended any chance the Sixers had at catching the Bucks for the No. 1 seed in the East as the highest they can finish now is No. 2.
Until the conclusion of the regular season on April 9, we are going to update the Eastern Conference standings and where the Sixers are at on a daily basis while taking a look at who they could face in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Sunday’s most prominent games (April 2)
The only real game that mattered to Philadelphia was its own against the Bucks. The loss means the Sixers can finish no higher than No. 2 as it continues to look like they will be locked into the No. 3 seed.
The Cleveland Cavaliers did defeat the Indiana Pacers on Sunday so they’re now 2.5 games back of Philadelphia for the No. 3 seed, but the Sixers do own the tiebreaker over them. It’s unlikely that the Cavs catch the Sixers for No. 3 in the East.
Round 1 playoff opponent looks much more clear
The Brooklyn Nets held off a furious rally from the Utah Jazz to win at home 111-110 to maintain their lead of two games over the Miami Heat for the No. 6 seed. They also own the tiebreaker with the Heat so they essentially have a three-game lead on Miami with four to play so Sixers vs. Nets in Round 1 is looking like a formality at this point.
Philadelphia does remain just three games back of the Boston Celtics for the No. 2 seed so they have a chance, albeit very slim, to catch the Cs for No. 2. If they do, then one of the play-in teams will be their Round 1 opponent.
The Heat are sitting firmly as the No. 7 seed in the East while the Atlanta Hawks, the Toronto Raptors, and the Chicago Bulls all battle for positioning. The Raptors are the only team that is firmly locked into the play-in games.
Story continues
Monday’s prominent games (April 3)
There are no games on the NBA schedule on Monday. This is due to the…
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