Brooklyn Nets Loss Sends 76ers to 2023 NBA Playoffs
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The Philadelphia 76ers are heading to the 2023 NBA Playoffs.
Going into Tuesday night’s slate of NBA games, the Sixers had the night off as they were set to travel to Chicago for a rematch against the Bulls.
Over the last couple of days, the Sixers had multiple opportunities to officially clinch a playoff berth. Sunday’s matchup between the Detroit Pistons and the Miami Heat mattered as a Heat loss would’ve allowed the Sixers to clinch their spot.
Unfortunately, a fourth-quarter comeback by Miami prevented the Sixers from getting the job done on Sunday night. A Monday night Sixers victory over the Chicago Bulls was the next option to get Philly in the postseason. However, Chicago pulled off the upset win, defeating the big man Joel Embiid for the first time in his career.
That left Philadelphia’s next playoff-clinching scenario in the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. A Cavs win over the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday night was the next scenario that would help the Sixers clinch. Finally, Philly is officially in.
With a 31-point effort from Donovan Mitchell and a strong performance off the bench from Caris LeVert, the Cavaliers took down the Nets with a 115-109 victory on Tuesday night.
With that outcome, the Sixers became the third Eastern Conference organization to clinch a spot in the playoffs. Next month, the Sixers will embark on their sixth-straight playoff run.
At this moment, the Sixers are back in the third seed after holding the second seed over the Boston Celtics for a day. At 48-23, the Sixers sit one game back from the Celtics and three games back from the Bucks.
If the playoffs were to start today, the Sixers would draw a first-round series against the 39-33 Brooklyn Nets. With 11 games left, the Sixers still have time to see a change in their seeding.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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