Sixers Place in Standings: Are Playoffs Certain?
The NBA season is now past the midway point, and the Philadelphia 76ers currently are sitting in the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Milwaukee Bucks hold the second spot, with the Boston Celtics currently sitting at the top. Although, not too long ago, the Sixers actually briefly held the No. 1 spot, which goes to show how tight the standings currently are and how prone they are to change. With the way the Sixers have been playing this season and especially recently, it would come as no surprise if they ended up finishing in that first Eastern Conference position. The team also is in the fourth spot when ranked with the entire league. Before their 119-109 loss to the Orlando Magic last Monday, the 76ers were riding high on a seven-game winning streak. Since then, they have won two of their last three meetings. The team is looking for a different ending than last year, when the team fell to the Miami Heat 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final. First, they must stay focused on securing a playoff spot and finishing the season strong. Center and PF Joel Embiid continues to amaze for the Sixers, who is currently a team leader in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks. Embiid is also the league leader in PPG currently with 33.4. He is one of, if not the best player in the league right now and has been a perfect leader for this Sixers squad. James Harden and Tyrese Maxey are performing well alongside Embiid. Harden with a PPG of 21.0 and Maxey with 20.1. Defensively, De’Anthony Melton has been leading for the team. He currently is leading the team in steals and has proven to be effective in his position at Shooting Guard. This team has chemistry, and their performance as a whole continues to improve. If things continue as is, a deep run this season would not be surprising from this Sixers team.
The @sixers posted a season-high 67 bench points, led by @TyreseMaxey’s 25.
— Sixers Stats (@SixersStats) February 4, 2023
Overall, six 76ers posted at least 10 points, as the team improved to 13-0 on the season when at least six players score in double figures.