76ers Lock Up Playoff Seed After Celtics Defeat Raptors

The Eastern Conference's playoff picture is fully forming.

Justin Grasso | Apr 6, 2023

76ers Lock Up Playoff Seed After Celtics Defeat Raptors /

In this story:

The Philadelphia 76ers have officially locked in their playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. After entering the playoffs as the fourth seed last year, Philadelphia will go up a spot this season as they are the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Going into Wednesday night’s slate of games, the Sixers had off. But depending on how the Boston Celtics versus Toronto Raptors matchup went, the game could have an impact on the Sixers’ upcoming playoff run.

With the Celtics defeating the Raptors 97-93, bouncing back after a two-point loss in Philly, the Celtics officially put the second seed out of reach for the Sixers.

Meanwhile, the Celtics locked up the Atlantic Division and clinched the second seed for themselves. Now, the top five seeds in the East are officially in place.

Current Standings

1. Milwaukee Bucks

2. Boston Celtics

3. Philadelphia 76ers

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. New York Knicks

The sixth seed is still available. Currently, the Brooklyn Nets are in sixth place with a 44-36 record. The Miami Heat are right behind them with a 42-37 record.

If the season ended today, the Sixers would draw a first-round series against the Nets, with the Heat competing for one of the final two seeds through the Play-In Tournament.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

MORE SIXERS NEWS

MVP Race Is Over: Doc Rivers wasn’t too pleased with his team’s performance against the Celtics on Tuesday night, but he did make one thing clear; the MVP race should be over and the award should go to 76ers’ center, Joel Embiid. READ MORE

Steph Curry Picks Embiid: Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry is one the latest NBA stars to publicly endorse Joel Embiid for NBA MVP. Earlier this week, Curry explained why he believes Embiid should take home the hardware for the first time this season. READ MORE

Not All Great: Despite a monster performance from Joel Embiid on Tuesday night in the win over the Celtics, the big man claimed that his team still has a lot of work to do before they take on their playoff journey. READ MORE

Published Apr 6, 2023

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA