Looking at the ways Sixers’ final day could shake out in standings

Looking at the ways Sixers’ final day could shake out in standings originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Game No. 82 looms.

Ahead of the Sixers’ final game of the regular season Sunday night vs. the Bucks, below is a refresher on the No. 5 through No. 10 range of the Eastern Conference standings. The first through sixth seeds will advance to the playoffs. The seventh through 10th will compete in the play-in tournament for the East’s final two playoff spots.

And here’s a look at how things could shake out for the Sixers:

For Sixers to finish sixth

The one scenario in which the Sixers would finish is sixth: Sixers win, Raptors and Magic lose.

In that case, all three teams would be 45-37 and the Sixers would win the tiebreaker.

Is that series of events plausible? It could happen, but the odds appear quite small. Orlando will face the 55-26 Celtics and Toronto will take on the 20-61 Nets. Boston’s locked in as the East’s No. 2 seed and Brooklyn’s next major event on the calendar is the NBA draft lottery.

Unsurprisingly, both the Celtics and Nets have long injury lists. Brooklyn’s many absences include Nic Claxton, Michael Porter Jr., Noah Clowney, Terance Mann and Egor Demin. The Celtics will sit plenty of regulars, among them Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White and Neemias Queta.

On a positive note for the Sixers, the Bucks are shorthanded and nowhere near postseason contention. They should beat Milwaukee at home.

For Sixers to finish seventh

The Sixers need a win to have a shot at the seventh seed, which would mean hosting the first game of the play-in tournament instead of traveling.

The following two scenarios would lead to the Sixers being No. 7:

• Sixers win, Raptors win, Magic lose

• Sixers win, Raptors lose, Magic win

The first outcome would mean that the Sixers play the Magic in that No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup. The second would mean that they’d host Toronto.

Of those two potential play-in opponents, there’s not a no-brainer choice for which the Sixers would prefer. They split the four-game season series vs. the Raptors. While the Sixers did win two of three games against the Magic this season, the one defeat was an embarrassing (albeit shorthanded) 41-point home loss on Nov. 25.

For Sixers to finish eighth

Again, the only two other games that matter to the Sixers are Raptors-Nets and Magic-Celtics. The reason the Sixers can’t fall lower than eighth is they’d win the tiebreaker over the Hornets if both teams ended at 44-38.

Either of these results would equal the eighth seed for the Sixers:

• Sixers lose (other games become irrelevant)

• Sixers win, Raptors win, Magic win

As outlined above, neither Orlando nor Toronto look at all likely to lose. Still, anything’s possible and the Sixers surely wouldn’t mind a surprise or two outside of Philadelphia on the season’s final day.