Sixers Set to Face Washington Wizards in 2021 NBA Playoffs

The Sixers will officially take on the Washington Wizards for the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

When the Philadelphia 76ers wrapped up the regular season on Sunday with a win over the Orlando Magic, they knew they were the first seed in the Eastern Conference's playoff bracket.

In previous years, the eighth seed would've been settled right away at the end of the year, and the playoffs would begin just a couple of days following the conclusion of the regular season with the top team facing the final team to make the playoffs.

But as we know, this year has been anything but typical for the NBA. With a condensed season, the league decided to change things up a bit and instead have seeds seven through ten battle it out in a Play-In Tournament.

On Tuesday, the Tournament started with back-to-back Eastern Conference matchups. In the battle for the ninth seed, the Indiana Pacers defeated the Charlotte Hornets with ease, knocking the Hornets out of playoff contention for good.

The following outing between the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics was a battle for the seventh seed. The winner faces the Brooklyn Nets in round one. The loser would have to play the Pacers for the final playoff spot.

The Boston Celtics took the cake on Tuesday night and locked themselves into the seventh seed. Meanwhile, the Wizards and the Pacers met on Thursday night for a single-game elimination matchup.

Washington was favored over Indiana as the Pacers had some notable names on their injury report and didn't have a home-court advantage. As the oddsmakers expected, the Wizards secured a comfortable victory over Indiana.

With a solid all-around offensive performance, the Wizards managed to put up 142 points on the Pacers. Indiana, on the other hand, struggled to keep up as they lost by a 27-point deficit. With that loss, the Pacers were sent packing and will end their season early. As for the Wizards, they'll face the 76ers in round one of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.

The Wizards and the Sixers are set to tip-off on Sunday at 1 PM EST. Washington will spend the first two games in South Philly before the series goes to D.C. for games three and four next weekend.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.