April 01, 2026
Sam Navarro/Imagn Images
Tyrese Maxey and the Sixers took a tough loss in Miami on Monday night.
Three decent minutes were all that separated the Sixers from notching their second straight season-altering victory. But on Monday night in Miami, the Sixers crumbled down the stretch, giving the Heat more than a puncher's chance in the packed race to land one of the final two playoff bids available in the Eastern Conference.
Just as important as the Sixers' loss in Miami was their thrilling road victory against the Charlotte Hornets two nights prior. And, entering what should be an easy-to-win matchup with the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, the team's chances of moving up one or two seeds and earning its way into a seven-game playoff are not remote. But it will take an impressive closing effort with seven games left in the 2025-26 regular season.
As we do every Wednesday, let's see where our friends in the national media stand on these Sixers as they try to emerge from the crowd in the middle of their conference:
When the Sixers take on the tanking Wizards on Wednesday, they will look to once again capitalize on facing an opponent incentivized to lose the game. And as John Schuhmann pointed out in between the Charlotte and Miami games, the Sixers would not be here had they not handled business against bad teams:
"The win in Charlotte ended a seven-game losing streak against other teams currently over .500, but some weaker opponents allowed the Sixers to survive the nine-game stretch (they went 5-4), where they didn’t have any of the three stars. They continue to have the league’s biggest differential between their record vs. the 12 teams currently at or below .500 (25-5, third best) and their record vs. the 18 teams currently above .500 (16-28, worst among the 18)." [NBA.com]
That record against teams above .500 is a game worse after the Miami loss, and it speaks to the challenge ahead for the Sixers: after the Washington game, they will have six more games left to play. The first four will come against good teams with winning records; the Sixers have a home back-to-back against the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons before traveling to Texas to play the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
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Tim Bontemps points out how valuable dodging any potential early elimination games could be for the Sixers in particular:
"With a handful of games left, Philadelphia – after dealing with almost its entire starting five being out for several weeks – is on the verge of making it into the top six in the East playoff race. There might not be a team that needs to climb out of the play-in more than Philadelphia, to avoid any extra chances for injury while having its full group ready when the playoffs arrive. If the 76ers can manage to do that, they will be a dangerous first-round opponent for whichever team in the top half of the bracket lands them." [ESPN]
From their star-laden roster to a lengthy injury history over the course of the season to the general mystery that stems from the infrequency with which they have had anything close to their full team available, the Sixers fit the prototypical build of a team that "nobody wants to face." That was the case two seasons ago, too, and they lost an epic first-round series to the New York Knicks in six games.
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Law Murray, who has a particular interest in the Sixers, is eager to see where all of this is heading. His rankings were published before the Miami game; it would be understandable if his excitement has since diminished. But it is good to have Tyrese Maxey back:
"First of all, what glorious returns from Joel Embiid (from injury) and Paul George (suspension) against the Bulls: 157 points! I grew up in Philadelphia in the 1990s — 157 points was a good week for the pre-Iverson 76ers. But we are here because the most important return of all happened Saturday in Charlotte. I’m not talking about Kelly Oubre Jr., although he planted a daffodil on Moussa Diabate after he had 18 days off. I’m talking about Maxey, the Prince of the City, who came back after three weeks out and picked up right where he left off in leading a 15-point comeback in the Queen City." [The Athletic]
After going three weeks without playing any organized basketball as he recovered from a tendon injury in his right fifth finger for the second straight season, Maxey did not just come back two games before he was even supposed to be re-evaluated, and he has not just played with a splint. He has also played 87 minutes across his first two games back, an absurd number. The Sixers need to find ways to get him breaks down the stretch of the season.
MORE: Paul George keeps his word, Dominick Barlow does a deep dive and more
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