76ers Playoff Watch: Wizards Star Bradley Beal Suffers Hamstring Injury

The Philadelphia 76ers aren't necessarily sure who their first-round playoff opponent will be at this point in time. Not only is the race for the seventh and eighth seeds a tight one, but the play-in tournament at the end of the year could surely shake things up.

Right now, there are several potential first-round opponents for the Sixers, which include the Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Boston Celtics, and the Washington Wizards. Since this is the final week of the regular season, the next six days will be critical for the aforementioned teams.

Unfortunately for the surging Wizards, they're dealing with a bit of a setback. Recently, Wizards superstar Bradley Beal suffered a lower-body injury. As the star guard tweaked his hamstring, he underwent an MRI this weekend.

The positive news is that Beal's injury was described as minor, and it doesn't seem to be significant enough to end his regular season prematurely. The bad news is despite the Wizards receiving a positive update regarding Beal's setback, the star guard will still miss at least a couple of games moving forward.

Injury update: Bradley Beal has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain following MRI testing conducted yesterday. He will miss the team’s next two games before being re-evaluated on Friday.
— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) May 10, 2021

According to the Wizards, Beal is set to miss Washington's next two games. Their first matchup will come on Monday night as Washington pays a visit to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. When those two teams met earlier this year, the Hawks picked up a 16-point victory, despite Beal and Russell Westbrook combining for 55 points.

Following Monday's game, the Hawks and the Wizards will reconvene for another matchup on Wednesday. Although Beal is guaranteed to miss those two matchups, the Wizards will re-evaluate the star guard ahead of Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sitting in the ninth seed, the Wizards are one game behind the Hornets, half a game in front of the Pacers, and three games ahead of the Chicago Bulls. There's no guarantee that Beal's absence results in a two-game slump for the Wizards, but the absence of the All-Star could shake up the playoff picture this week.

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