Replacing Joel Embiid, tracking playoff scenarios and more of what we learned from the Sixers’ 105-94 win

The 76ers picked up a 105-94 win over the tanking Indiana Pacers on Friday in their final road game.

Here’s what we learned about the Sixers with one game left to go in the regular season:

The Sixers turned to Adem Bona to start Friday’s game at center with Joel Embiid sidelined after an appendectomy, but Bona ultimately played just 19 minutes, scoring three points and grabbing six rebounds. He finished as a team low minus-13.

Instead, Nurse played Drummond 29 minutes off the bench, and he scored 10 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds, for his second double-digit rebounding game in a row. The Sixers were plus-24 with him on the floor.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Joel Embiid discharged from hospital following surgery

Drummond has been one of the league’s most prolific rebounders for most of his NBA career, but he hasn’t been a good matchup against athletic centers like Miami’s Bam Adebayo, a potential Play-In Tournament opponent, or Detroit’s Jalen Duren, a potential first-round opponent. He was more effective against the Charlotte Hornets, playing critical minutes to keep the Hornets off the offensive glass in the fourth.

Thanks to the Hornets’ loss to Detroit, the Sixers will finish no lower than eighth in the East, guaranteeing them at least a spot in the play-in matchup between the seeds Nos. 7 and 8 and two games to secure a first-round playoff spot.

If the Brooklyn Nets beat the Raptors, and the Sixers win the final game of the season over Milwaukee, they could still earn the six seed. But the most likely outcome is a matchup with Orlando as the seventh or eighth seed. If the Celtics beat the Magic on Sunday and the Sixers win, the Sixers will host the game on Wednesday. Otherwise, Orlando will host the game, likely on Tuesday.

If things couldn’t get any worse for the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey left the game at the end of the third quarter, grabbing for his right hand after a collision fighting for a loose ball.

Earlier in the quarter, Maxey fell on his wrist and appeared to be in some pain, but he stayed on the court. Maxey missed three weeks with an injury to his little right finger. He returned two weeks ago, but has still been wearing a brace on the finger. It’s also the same finger that ended his season last year.

Maxey did return to the game in the fourth, and he finished the night with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists. But his health and effective shooting are critical to the Sixers’ chances of advancing past the play-in and in any first-round series, especially with Embiid almost certainly out of the lineup.