Playoff Update: Sixers were off on Tuesday night, Raptors beat the Heat to tighten grip on 6th seed

The Sixers did not play on Tuesday and still lost ground in the hunt for better playoff seeding. The Raptors beat the Heat 121-95 and pushed their lead over Philly to a full game, tightening their grip on the sixth seed while the Sixers remain in the play-in as the seventh seed.

Toronto is 44-35. The Sixers are 43-36. Three games left. The math is straightforward. Win all three and put pressure on Toronto. Lose one and the focus shifts entirely to surviving the play-in from the seventh seed.

Sixers Updated Standings

• 6th — Raptors (44-35) — 5-5 L10, W1
• 7th — 76ers (43-36) ← us — 6-4 L10, L2
• 8th — Magic (43-36) — 5-5 L10, W3
• 9th — Hornets (43-37) — 7-3 L10, L1

The Raptors have a full game on everyone now. The Sixers hold the tiebreaker over the Magic which keeps them at seventh and not lower. The Hornets lost Tuesday and fell to 43-37, half a game back and essentially eliminated from catching Philadelphia unless the Sixers completely fall apart. Orlando at 43-36 is the only real threat to the seventh seed. The Magic are on a three-game win streak and tied with the Sixers in the loss column.

Sixers:

• 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

Raptors:

• Thu Apr 9 — vs Heat (41-38) — Favorable
• Fri Apr 10 — at Knicks (51-28) — Tough
• Sun Apr 12 — vs Nets — Favorable

Thursday in Houston is the swing game. The Rockets are 43-27 and a legitimate playoff team. This is a winnable road game with Embiid healthy but it requires everyone clicking at the same time which has not happened consistently enough over this last stretch.

Win it and the sixth seed race stays alive. Lose it and the focus shifts entirely to Indiana and Milwaukee.

The game to watch on the other side is Friday night. Toronto goes to Madison Square Garden to face a 51-28 Knicks team on a three-game win streak. If the Sixers win in Houston on Thursday and the Raptors lose in New York on Friday the gap closes to half a game heading into the final day of the regular season. That is the scenario to chase.

Indiana and Milwaukee are non-negotiable. Those wins have to happen no matter what else does or does not go right this week.

Projection is 2-1. Drop Houston, win Indiana and Milwaukee, finish 45-37, hold the seventh seed, play-in game to follow. Best case is 3-0 with Toronto losing to the Knicks, a tiebreaker scenario with conference record deciding the sixth seed.

Still mathematically alive. It is a long shot. It is not impossible.

The Playoff Picture

A 1-2 finish at 44-38 creates a real risk of dropping to eighth if the Magic win out. Play-in from a worse spot. A 2-1 finish at 45-37 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 forces a tiebreaker with Toronto depending on their results. The sixth seed is possible.

Nobody wants to play Embiid, George, and Maxey in a one-game elimination setting. The play-in is not a death sentence with this roster but the goal is still to avoid it and that means winning games they are supposed to win and stealing one they are not supposed to win in Houston.

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