The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Miami Heat in a crucial game, but failed to defeat two Western opponents last week. In three out of four games this week, they will face Western teams again, and three of their games will also be away. With just three weeks remaining in the regular season, it will be a tough time for the Sixers. Philadelphia is still eighth in the East with a 38-32 record, looking to claw its way out of the Play-In tournament.
One step forward, two steps back
On Monday night, the 76ers hosted the Heat and emerged victorious in a defensive-driven game, 98-91. Miami’s disheveled roster without Jimmy Butler, Tyler HerroAnd Duncan Robinson failed to launch his offense against the Sixers defense. On the other hand, Tyrese Maxey put up a massive performance of 30 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, just shy of a triple-double. However, Philadelphia’s West Coast tour was a bit sour, including two losses to the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers. These two teams are fighting for a spot outside of the Play-In, eerily similar to the Sixers’ situation. The game against Phoenix was horrible offensively as Maxey only scored six and the team shot 7-18 (38.9%) from the free throw line. While Maxey had a bounce-back game against the Lakers with 27 points, the team still struggled offensively, shooting 34.4 percent from the field.
West Coast tour continues for Sixers
This week, the Sixers’ west coast tour continues with games on Sunday and Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers and Sacramento Kings, respectively. The Clippers will then travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday night to face off for the second time this week. The 76ers return to Eastern playoff contention on Friday and travel to Cleveland to face the Cavaliers. The Cavs aren’t statistically out of reach of the Sixers, but they stand five games away from each other. Since Philadelphia has at least one Play-In spot locked up, the remaining games will need to be wins to slowly move out of Play-In and secure a playoff spot. However, as time passes, a deep playoff run for the 76ers depends heavily on Joel EmbiidA return at the end of the season which looks doubtful.
