Sixers Magic Number and Playoff Berth Tracker

The Sixers' playoff hopes have taken hit after hit over the past few days. They were in pole position for the No. 6 seed in the East as recently as last week, and now they're fighting just to hold on to the No. 8 seed.

The good news is that already got some help. The bad news is that they need a lot of it to move up further than No. 8.

Here's a glimpse at the standings heading into Saturday:

The Sixers have the tiebreaker over the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets, while the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat have the tiebreaker over them. Three- or four-team ties get even more complicated, but that doesn't seem like something the Sixers will likely have to worry about, unfortunately.

The Hawks locked up a top-six seed with their win over the short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers. The Toronto Raptors had the chance to do the same, but they got pasted by the New York Knicks for the fifth time this season.

As long as the Raptors beat the tanking Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, they'll also be guaranteed a top-six seed. That means the Sixers' ceiling might be No. 7 rather than their floor.

What's the Sixers' magic number?

By the end of Friday night, there was a non-zero chance that the Sixers would be locked into the play-in tournament. The Cavaliers were without both Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen in their rematch against the Hawks, as they seem content with settling into the No. 4 seed.

Luckily, the Knicks and Pistons didn't follow suit and played their whole rotation. The Knicks smashed the Raptors, and the Pistons pulled away from the red-hot Hornets in the fourth quarter.

Had the Hornets won their final two games, the Sixers also would have had to win their last two to avoid dropping to the No. 9 seed. Thanks to the assist they just received from the Pistons, they are now guaranteed to finish ahead of the Hornets.

That means the Hornets and Miami Heat are locked lnto the No. 9 vs. No. 10 play-in game. The Sixers can fall no lower than No. 8 and will thus have their first play-in game on Tuesday.

If the Sixers win that game—which will likely be in Orlando against the Magic—they'd earn a date with the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. If they lose Tuesday, they'll host the winner of the Hornets-Heat play-in game on Friday for the right to face the Pistons in the first round.

Rooting guide for Sunday

The NBA is completely off Saturday as it gears up for a final day with all 30 teams in action. Unfortunately only a few of those teams have anything left to play for, so deciphering motivations is the key to figuring out Sunday's slate.

Albeit unlikely, here's how Sixers fans should want the final day of the regular season to unfold:

• Sixers beat Bucks (likely?)
• Celtics beat Magic (doubtful given motivation)
• Nets beat Raptors (lol)

If all of that somehow happens, the Sixers would land the No. 6 seed. But when the Raptors beat the Nets, the Sixers will get locked into the play-in tournament.

From there, their focus will pivot to planning for the postseason without Joel Embiid.

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Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM.

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