April 02, 2026
John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images
Wednesday night's Toronto Raptors loss was a terrific outcome for the Sixers.
On the Capital One Arena floor Wednesday night, Paul George scored 39 points to lead the Sixers past the lowly Washington Wizards in his highest-scoring game since joining the organization. But it turned into one of the most productive days of the 2025-26 season for the Sixers because of a trio of additional games in the Eastern Conference's packed race: six teams vying for two playoff spots.
Optimal positioning in the Play-In Tournament is a consolation prize of sorts; whichever teams finish in third and fourth of these six will have considerably better chances the final two of earning their way into playoff series.
Wednesday was a tremendous day for the Sixers: on top of their own victory, sans Joel Embiid, they moved up to the No. 6 seed – out of the play-in range from No. 7 to No. 10 – because the Toronto Raptors found a way to lose at home to the tanking Sacramento Kings. The Miami Heat, coming off a dramatic win over the Sixers on Monday, were handily beaten by the Boston Celtics, giving the Sixers some helpful breathing room. And the surging Atlanta Hawks, one spot ahead of the Sixers, knocked off the Orlando Magic, which also gave the Sixers more margin for error.
An argument could be made that Orlando beating Atlanta would have been the Sixers' ideal outcome, but it is a double-edged sword. Orlando losing makes it harder for the Magic to be a viable threat to the Sixers. Far and away the most important thing, though, was Toronto dropping a game they should have won easily.
So, after Wednesday's action, here is how the standings look as the Hawks, Sixers, Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, Magic and Heat jostle for playoff positioning:
| Seed | Team | Record | Games back |
| 5 | Atlanta Hawks | 44-33 | 11.5 |
| 6 | Sixers | 42-34 | 13.0 |
| 7 | Toronto Raptors | 42-34 | 13.0 |
| 8 | Charlotte Hornets | 40-36 | 15.0 |
| 9 | Orlando Magic | 40-36 | 15.0 |
| 10 | Miami Heat | 40-37 | 15.5 |
Three- and four-way tiebreakers are not impossible here yet, and those would get enormously complicated. But for now, a reminder of the Sixers' two-way tiebreaker outlook with each of these teams:
• The Sixers lost their season series with Atlanta, 0-4, and would lose a two-way tiebreaker.
• The Sixers split their season series with Toronto, 2-2, but would win a two-way tiebreaker due to their superior division record.
• The Sixers won their season series with Orlando, 2-1, and would win a two-way tiebreaker.
• The Sixers won their season series with Charlotte, 2-1, and would win a two-way tiebreaker.
• The Sixers lost their season series with Miami, 1-2, and would lose a two-way tiebreaker.
With six games left for the Sixers, Raptors, Hornets and Magic, and only five remaining for the Hawks and Heat, each and every contest is critical. Here is an updated look at each team's remaining schedule, with strength of schedule numbers courtesy of Tankathon. Matchups listed in italics are parts of back-to-backs:
| Seed | Team | Remaining opponents | SOS |
| 5 | Hawks | @ BKN (18-58), vs. NYK (49-28), @ CLE (47-29), vs. CLE (47-29), @ MIA (40-37) | .526 |
| 6 | Sixers | vs. MIN (46-29), vs. DET (55-21), @ SA (58-18), @ HOU (47-29), @ IND (18-58), vs. MIL (30-46) | .558 |
| 7 | Raptors | @ MEM (25-51), @ BOS (51-25), vs. MIA (40-37), vs. MIA (40-37), @ NYK (49-28), vs. BKN (18-58) | .486 |
| 8 | Hornets | vs. PHO (42-34), vs. IND (18-58), @ MIN (46-29), @ BOS (51-25), vs. DET (55-21), @ NYK (49-28) | .572 |
| 9 | Magic | @ DAL (24-52), @ NO (25-51), vs. DET (55-21), vs. MIN (46-29), @ CHI (29-47), @ BOS (51-25) | .505 |
| 10 | Heat | vs. WAS (17-59), @ TOR (42-34), @ TOR (42-34), @ WAS (17-59), vs. ATL (44-33) | .425 |
Clearly, this is not going to be a cakewalk for the Sixers, who have two back-to-backs left and are about to play four very good teams in a row before ending the season with two easier matches. There are a few critical games left between this grouping of teams; a two-game set in Toronto between the Raptors and Heat will be massive and a regular-season finale with the Hawks in Miami could be, too.
Statistical models seem to agree: the Hawks are getting close to being a lock for a playoff spot, while Charlotte, Orlando and Miami appear to be longer shots to earn one. The Sixers and Raptors could have a race for the No. 6 seed go down to the wire.
First, take a look at odds from basketball-reference:
| Team | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10 |
| Hawks | 82.0% | 12.0% | 4.1% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 0.0% |
| Sixers | 5.6% | 37.0% | 29.3% | 18.4% | 7.9% | 1.8% |
| Raptors | 9.6% | 43.2% | 36.0% | 8.1% | 2.6% | 0.5% |
| Hornets | 1.5% | 2.6% | 8.5% | 23.7% | 37.9% | 25.8% |
| Magic | 0.2% | 1.8% | 8.3% | 24.2% | 25.0% | 40.6% |
| Heat | 0.6% | 3.4% | 13.8% | 24.5% | 26.4% | 31.3% |
Then, from Dunks & Threes:
| Team | No. 5 | No. 6 | No. 7 | No. 8 | No. 9 | No. 10 |
| Hawks | 69.6% | 20.4% | 4.8% | 2.4% | 2.1% | 0.1% |
| Sixers | 12.0% | 47.8% | 18.7% | 10.2% | 9.9% | 1.4% |
| Raptors | 15.7% | 23.2% | 28.3% | 16.3% | 14.9% | 1.6% |
| Hornets | 0.8% | 1.7% | 14.9% | 26.0% | 24.6% | 31.9% |
| Magic | 0.1% | 2.0% | 17.5% | 21.8% | 25.7% | 32.9% |
| Heat | 1.1% | 4.9% | 15.8% | 23.3% | 22.8% | 32.1% |
The second model is much more optimistic about the Sixers-Raptors battle than the first; it views the Sixers as prohibitive favorites over Toronto instead of very slight underdogs. Toronto's schedule the rest of the way is easier, but not enormously so. The importance of the Raptors' horrid loss on Wednesday: now tied and on the wrong side of the in-division tiebreaker, they must be one game better than the Sixers between now and the end of the season. If the Sixers just keep pace, they will be in a great spot.
