With third playoff seed well within reach, Sixers put focus on final five games
Knowing that a defining postseason is on the horizon has been mentally draining for the Sixers.“But at the same time, we got to play it out,” Ben Simmons says of the rest of the regular season.
DALLAS — Will Joel Embiid be healthy enough to dominate in the postseason? Can Jimmy Butler be the dominant closer the 76ers believe they acquired? Is Tobias Harris the missing link for a deep playoff run?
Waiting to find out is all there is to do at this point.
The Sixers could advance to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, making the Wells Fargo Center the center of the basketball universe. Or they won’t, and the team’s front office, ownership group, and free-agents-to-be will all have to figure out their next moves.
But the team has five regular-season games left, starting with Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. contest against the Atlanta Hawks at the State Farm Arena. The Sixers (49-28) can secure the third spot in the conference’s playoffs by winning two more games. They could, however, clinch it Wednesday with a victory over the Hawks and a Boston Celtics loss to the Miami Heat.
Knowing that a defining postseason is on the horizon has been mentally draining for the Sixers.
“But at the same time, we’ve got to play it out,” Ben Simmons said of the final five games. “We all know that. We’ve got to go into Atlanta and get that win.”
However, things have been a struggle recently for the Sixers, losers of three of their last five games.
It doesn’t help that their defense has been abysmal all season. Or that the usual starting lineup has played only 10 of a possible 23 games together since Harris was acquired in a trade Feb. 7.
The Sixers were without two starters in Monday’s 122-102 setback to the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Embiid (left knee tendinitis) rested for the second of at least three consecutive games. Butler was out with back tightness and is listed as day-to-day.
With or without the duo, the Sixers haven’t exactly looked conference finals-ready in their last five games. Their setbacks were all uninspired road losses to losing teams. In addition to falling to the Mavs (31-46), they had bad defeats to the Hawks (28-49) on March 23 and the Orlando Magic (38-40) two days later.
“We’ve just got to keep jelling, keep working,” reserve Mike Scott said. “That’s it.”
We’ll find out whether it’s as easy as working together, once the postseason begins.
Redick closing in on record
JJ Redick is two three-pointers shy of breaking the Sixers’ single-season record for made threes. Kyle Korver set the franchise record of 226 during the 2004-05 season. Redick has 225. Former Sixer Robert Covington is third on the list. He made 203 last season. The Sixers traded Covington to the Minnesota Timberwolves in November.