Sizing up the Sixers’ tanking prospects as the regular season winds down
The Sixers still have some work to do if they are to keep their first-round pick in June's NBA draft.
MIAMI — For the 76ers, it’s not the final exams, but it’s still one heck of a multi-day test.
They begin the final week of their regular season Monday in South Florida to face a Heat squad coming off two losses. From there, the Sixers will travel to Washington for Wednesday’s showdown against the Wizards, who have lost 10 of 12 games after Sunday’s 124-90 loss to the Boston Celtics.
From there, the Sixers (23-55) conclude the season with a two-game homestand against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday and the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
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But much-needed losses to the Heat (35-43) and Wizards (17-61) would bring the Sixers closer to securing one of the five worst records. That’s important because the Sixers are tanking with the hope of keeping their first-round pick in June’s NBA draft, which is top-six protected.
They’ll have a 63.9% chance of keeping the pick by finishing the season with the fifth-worst record. Their odds will increase to 81% with the fourth-worst mark.
And heading into Sunday’s slate of NBA games, the Sixers had a 2½-game cushion over the Brooklyn Nets for the fifth-worst record. They were also 1½ games behind the New Orleans Pelicans for the fourth-worst mark.
On paper, the Sixers shouldn’t have a problem extending their losing streak to 12 games when facing Miami.
That’s because the Heat have plenty of motivation to win. At 35-43, Miami has secured a spot in next week’s NBA Play-In Tournament. But the Eastern Conference’s 10th-place team is determined to get a better seed in the tourney.
The play-in is designed for teams ranked Nos. 7 through 10 to compete for the final two postseason berths.
The No. 7 team will host the No. 8 team, with the winner securing the postseason’s seventh seed.
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The No. 9 team will entertain the No. 10 with the winner advancing to face the loser of the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game for the opportunity to grab the eighth seed. The loser of the No. 9 vs. No. 10 game will be eliminated.
As of Sunday evening, the Heat were 1½ games behind the eighth-place Atlanta Hawks and a game behind the ninth-place Bulls. So they have an opportunity to move up during their remaining four games.
Because of that, beating the Sixers could be vital.
The Heat, however, are banged up.
Nikola Jovic (broken right hand), Isaiah Stevens (right foot discomfort), Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery), and Kevin Love (personal reasons) are sidelined. Alec Burks (lower back discomfort), Tyler Herro (right thigh contusion), and Haywood Highsmith (left Achilles soreness) are questionable.
So both teams could be undermanned. The Sixers have been playing without eight regular rotation players for over a month.
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On Wednesday, the Sixers will face the tanking Wizards, who have the league’s second-worst record.
The teams split this season’s previous two meetings, with Washington prevailing, 119-114, on March 26 in Philly during their last meeting. Back then, both squads rested several key players in an attempt to lose.
They may try to do the same thing this week, as it could be a key loss for both teams.