Sixers in Danger of Missing Automatic Playoff in the East
By Teodoro Medina Reynoso
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 15 Mar 2024
The Philadelphia 76ers lost its game today against the Milwaukee Bucks 114-105 dropping down to the seventh spot and in danger of missing automatic playoff slot in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers were in the thick of the race for the top spot with the Boston Celtics and the Bucks until superstar center Joel Embiid got injured and whose return to action could already be in the playoffs.
Since then, the Sixers have floundered from third to sixth, getting overtaken by teams as Cleveland, New York and Orlando. And with a record of 36-30 they are trailing current #6 Indiana Pacers (37-30) by half a game and just ahead of #8 Miami Heat (35-30) by a game.
If the trend goes on, the Sixers are in danger of missing an automatic playoff slot for the first time in the Embiid era.
It is not that the Sixers through coach Doc Rivers are not doing their best to compensate for the loss of their main man. The other starters as Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Kyle Lowry are stepping up their games with new acquisitions Buddy Hield, Kelly Oubre and Cameroon Payne providing support off the bench. The Sixers have also experimented on big men Paul Reed and Mohamad Mamba to try to pick up the slack.
But Embiid's impact on the team is just too huge to be filled. Just like in today's game against Milwaukee at the Bucks homecourt of Fiserv Forum Arena.
Led by Maxey's 30 points teaming up with Harris, Lowry and Payne, the Sixers combined for 70 points to put up a stout fight for most of the game. Oubre and Hield chipped in 9 points each for the Sixers.
But Giannis Antetokoumpo scored 32 points and Brook Lopez tallied 19 plus Damien Lillard 17 and the rest of the Bucks starters Jay Crowder 9 and Pat Beverly 6 to negate the effort. Giannis and Lopez likewise combined for 17 rebounds more than Reed's and Mamba's combined 12 boards.
AJ Green, Pat Connaughton and Bob Portis came off the bench with14, 9 and 8 to contribute to the Bucks victory.
It is not late however for the Sixers to better their record to avoid falling into the play in.
The author Teodoro Medina Reynoso is a veteran boxing radio talk show host living in the Philippines. He can be reached at teddyreynoso@yahoo.com and by phone 09215309477.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Teodoro Medina Reynoso.
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