The Sixers are clinging to the 6-seed with 25 Games left in the regular season

The Sixers snapped a four-game losing streak Sunday with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves and sit at 31-26 with 25 games left in the season.

That win mattered more than it might look on the surface because the Eastern Conference standings right now are tight enough that every single game in this final stretch counts.

The Sixers are currently holding onto the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot by half a game over Orlando and Miami, both of whom are nipping at their heels and would love nothing more than to knock Philadelphia into the play-in tournament.

The good news is they have the spot. The bad news is 31-26 is not exactly a comfortable cushion with this many games remaining and Joel Embiid still working through his availability issues.

Here’s where the Sixers stand in the East right now (Feb 23):

1. Detroit Pistons 42-13
2. Boston Celtics 37-19
3. New York Knicks 37-21
4. Cleveland Cavaliers 36-22
5. Toronto Raptors 34-23
6. Philadelphia 76ers 31-26
7. Orlando Magic 30-26 (play-in)
8. Miami Heat 31-27 (play-in)
9. Atlanta Hawks 28-31 (play-in)
10. Charlotte Hornets 27-31 (play-in)
11. Milwaukee Bucks 24-31
12. Chicago Bulls 24-34
13. Washington Wizards 16-40
14. Brooklyn Nets 15-41
15. Indiana Pacers 15-43

The next five games are going to tell us a lot about where this team is actually headed. They are at Indiana on Tuesday, which is a winnable game against one of the worst teams in the league.

Then Miami comes to town Thursday in what is essentially a direct playoff positioning matchup. Then a road trip to Boston on March 1, which is going to be a tough night. Spurs and Jazz to close out the stretch are both manageable.

Go get Indiana. Take care of business at home against Miami. Those two games alone could settle a lot of the anxiety around this team heading into March. The Sixers need to protect the six seed and they need to start doing it now.

Join The Chase