Can 76ers Clinch Playoff Spot vs. Bulls on Monday?
The Philadelphia 76ers had an opportunity to clinch a spot in the playoffs on Sunday night, depending on whether or not the Detroit Pistons defeated the Miami Heat.
A Pistons upset would’ve helped the Sixers become the third team in the Eastern Conference to clinch a playoff berth, following the Milwaukee Bucks and the Boston Celtics.
Unfortunately for Philly, the Pistons couldn’t maintain their lead late in the game. As the Heat turned a seven-point deficit into a 12-point lead, Miami pulled off the comeback win and prevented the Sixers from punching their ticket to the playoffs as early as Sunday.
When the Sixers take the floor again on Monday night to face the Chicago Bulls, they’ll have an opportunity to take matters into their own hands.
According to the NBA, the Sixers will clinch a spot in the playoffs officially with a win over the Bulls.
The last time the Sixers faced the Bulls was on January 6. Chicago paid a visit to Philadelphia to take on a Joel Embiid-less Sixers team.
With an efficient high-scoring performance by Chicago’s Zach LaVine, the Bulls took the Sixers down 126-112, snapping a multi-year 12-game Philadelphia win streak over the Bulls. In their first meeting of the year back in October, a healthy Sixers team downed the Bulls 114-109.
According to SI Sportsbook, the Sixers are favored by 8.5 on Monday. Considering Philly is on an eight-game win streak, they are one of the hottest teams in the NBA. While the Bulls have found moderate success lately, winning six of their last ten games, Philadelphia has proven to have tons of success against the Bulls in recent matchups.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
MORE SIXERS NEWS
Moving On Up: With a successful three-game road trip in the bag, the Sixers have officially moved up in the Eastern Conference rankings officially. Following a win over the Indiana Pacers and a Boston Celtics loss to the Utah Jazz, the Sixers are now in second place. READ MORE
Point Embiid: James Harden got the night off in Indiana on Saturday night. Without the ten-time All-Star playmaker on the floor, Joel Embiid took on some of the team’s playmaking duties, which is something he looks forward to doing when Harden doesn’t get the nod to go. READ MORE
Cheat Code: Following a dominant Sixers win against the Indiana Pacers, head coach Rick Carlisle referred to Joel Embiid as an “NBA cheat code,” while mentioning that Embiid is likely the MVP of the NBA at this moment. READ MORE
