Can Sixers avoid the play-in? Taking stock of the race going into home stretch 

Like it or not, the Sixers have gotten to a point where daily checks of the Eastern Conference standings are fair enough. 

“I’ve seen where we were at the beginning of the season,” Kelly Oubre Jr. said on March 16. “When I do look at it (now), it makes me nauseous. So no, I can’t really do that. But I do try to make sure to keep up with the games around the league — make sure we know who’s coming up next, who’s hot.”

The Sixers have indeed fallen off dramatically. They were 29-13 and third in the Eastern Conference after Joel Embiid’s 70-point performance vs. the Spurs.

Embiid hurt his left knee eight days later and remains sidelined, though the reigning MVP has said he’s aiming to return this season.

The Sixers beat James Harden and the Clippers on Sunday afternoon in impressive fashion, improving to 39-32 ahead of their West Coast road trip finale Monday night against the Kings. In other pertinent results, the Heat blew out the Cavs and the Pacers lost a 150-145 game to the Lakers. 

So, where exactly do the Sixers stand, what’s to come, and what are their chances of rising in the standings?

State of the race 

It’s still technically possible for the Sixers to finish anywhere from second to 10th in the East. They’re eighth at the moment. 

However, sixth through eighth are by far the most likely outcomes. For instance, we don’t envision the 34-37 Bulls or 31-39 Hawks surging in front of the Sixers.

Here’s the latest standings in the No. 3 through No. 8 range. As a refresher, the first through sixth seeds will be locked into playoff spots. No. 7 through No. 10 will enter the NBA’s play-in tournament.

• No. 3: Cavaliers — 43-28 (14 games back)
• No. 4: Knicks — 42-28 (14.5 GB)
• No. 5: Magic — 42-29 (15 GB)
• No. 6: Pacers — 40-32 (17.5 GB)
• No. 7: Heat — 39-32 (18 GB)
• No. 8: Sixers — 39-32 (18 GB) 

The tiebreakers picture  

The Sixers have lost their regular-season series against the Pacers and Knicks. If they ended up with the same record as Indiana or New York, they’d finish below those teams in the standings. 

With an April 12 matchup vs. Orlando still to come, they’ve clinched their season series against the Magic. 

The Sixers are up 2-1 in their series with Cleveland and down 2-1 to Miami. They’ll play the Cavs on Friday and face the Heat on April 4.

Tiebreaker scenarios become more convoluted when teams split a season series. At the moment, conference winning percentage would be used to break a Sixers-Cavs or Sixers-Heat tie. The Sixers are 26-20 so far against the Eastern Conference. Miami is 27-18 and Cleveland is 28-19. 

Remaining schedules 

The Sixers’ final stretch of the schedule is light on paper. 

Besides the Magic, the 26-45 Nets have the current best record among the Sixers’ last five opponents. 

In terms of opponents’ winning percentage, the Sixers’ remaining strength of schedule for their final 11 games is eighth-easiest in the NBA, according to Tankathon.

Indiana’s remaining strength of schedule is middle of the pack (.501 opponents’ winning percentage), while Miami has the second-easiest schedule left. 

Are Sixers capable of gaining ground? 

None of the Sixers, Heat and Pacers have a three-game winning streak yet in March. Any sustained success could swing the race. 

Like the Sixers, the Heat have been hit especially hard by injuries this season and sometimes needed to use deep bench players for significant minutes. All-Star Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton has been slumping; he’s shot 22.8 percent from three-point range over his last 15 games. Naturally, every team in the play-in tournament mix has flaws and concerns.

Health looms large for the Sixers. On top of Embiid, De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise) have been out long term. Covington participated in portions of the Sixers’ final practice before their road trip. Asked last Monday about Melton’s status, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said he had no update.

As of Monday morning, here’s how Basketball Reference’s playoff probabilities report saw the Sixers’ odds: 

• No. 1-6: 29.9 percent chance
• No. 7: 30.6 percent
• No. 8: 39.0 percent
• No. 9: 0.5 percent