Standings Update: Sixers fall back into the play-in with 3 games left in the regular season

Embiid was great on Monday night in San Antonio. It did not matter. Maxey had an off night. Oubre had an off night. Every time Embiid sat the Spurs did whatever they wanted. Final score 115-102 and the Sixers are back in the play-in with three games left and one of the most compressed standings pictures you will see all season.

Joel Embiid dominates, Sixers waste opportunity with 115-102 loss to the Spurs

The Raptors won Monday. The Hornets won. The Magic won. All three of those teams are now tied with the Sixers at 43-36. Philadelphia holds the tiebreaker over the Hornets and Magic which is why they sit at seventh and not lower. One bad night and the entire bottom of the East reshuffled. That is how tight this is.

Sixers Updated Standings

• 6th — Raptors (43-35) — 4-6 L10, L1
• 7th — 76ers (43-36) ← us — 6-4 L10, L2
• 8th — Hornets (43-36) — 8-2 L10, W4
• 9th — Magic (43-36) — 5-5 L10, W3

Four teams. Three seeds. One game separating sixth from ninth. The Raptors are the direct target. One game back, on a losing streak, 4-6 in their last ten. They are not playing well.

Neither are the Sixers. Whoever steadies the ship first wins the sixth seed. The tiebreaker over the Hornets and Magic only matters if everyone finishes at the same record. If Charlotte or Orlando passes Philadelphia in the win column these next three games that advantage disappears entirely.

Sixers Remaining Schedule

• Thu Apr 9 — at Rockets (43-27) — Competitive
• Fri Apr 10 — at Pacers (15-57) — Must win
• Sun Apr 12 — vs Bucks (29-41) — Must win

The Pacers and Bucks are not optional. Those are mandatory wins. Losing to Indiana or Milwaukee at this point would be a complete and total failure. No other way to say it.

The Rockets on Thursday are the interesting game. Houston is 43-27 and a legitimate Western Conference playoff team. This is a game the Sixers can win with Embiid healthy and the full lineup clicking on the same night.

Win in Houston and they finish 46-36 and likely reclaim the sixth seed. Lose and they need Toronto to stumble just to stay at seventh.

Projection is 2-1. Drop Houston, win Indiana and Milwaukee, finish 45-37, hold seventh, play-in game to follow. Best case is 3-0. Win all three, finish 46-36, reclaim the sixth, skip the play-in entirely.

It requires beating a 43-win team on the road Thursday night. It is possible.

Sixers Playoff Picture

A 1-2 finish at 44-38 creates a serious risk of dropping to eighth or lower depending on what the Hornets and Magic do. Play-in from a bad spot. A 2-1 finish at 45-37 likely holds seventh, a play-in game against the eighth seed, winner faces the Celtics. That is the floor. A 3-0 finish at 46-36 reclaims the sixth, skips the play-in, and sets up a first-round matchup with the Knicks. Still alive. Requires Houston.

The play-in is probably where this ends up. But this team with Embiid, George, and Maxey healthy is dangerous in a one-game setting. They have proven that all month. The Miami collapse was a bad night. The Spurs loss was a bad night. The ceiling on this roster is real. They just need one more night where everybody shows up at the same time.

This season has been everything. The injuries. The suspension. The 157-point blowout. The Charlotte comeback. The Miami choke job. George’s 39-point statement in Washington. Three wins in a row. Two losses and a three-way tie for seventh with three games left. It was never going to be clean. It never is with this team.

Three games. Win the ones you are supposed to win. Try to steal one in Houston.

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