March 8, 2026, 3:16 p.m. ET
For the first time in quite a while, the Philadelphia 76ers are not in the top 6 of the Eastern Conference standings following Saturday’s 125-116 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The Sixers are now the No. 8 seed in the East which sits them squarely in the play-in tournament.
The team’s constant issues in the third quarter caught them again on Saturday night as they were outscored 31-21 in the third on their way to a critical loss. The Sixers are now currently half a game back of the Orlando Magic for that 6th and final guaranteed playoff spot in the East as things are beginning to unravel a bit.
As the Sixers now move on, their focus will be on getting out of that play-in tournament and into the playoffs.
“I think the standings are what they are,” coach Nick Nurse told reporters after the loss. “I think that, obviously, you gotta hold your own, right? I think everybody below us is kind of hot, right? And we gotta hold our own to stay in there. There’s plenty of games left to be played, and it’ll probably be a dog fight all the way till the end.”
Nurse and the Sixers may have bigger problems on their hands when it comes to the status of Tyrese Maxey who left Saturday’s loss to the Hawks with a hand issue. However, regardless of Maxey’s status, the Sixers have to prepare for these final 19 games and get back in the top 6 in the standings.
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