Miami Heat Prevent 76ers From Clinching Playoff Spot Over Weekend
The Philadelphia 76ers had the day off on Sunday. After taking care of business in back-to-back games against the Charlotte Hornets and the Indiana Pacers, the Sixers benefitted from a Boston Celtics loss late on Saturday night, as it helped Philly move up to the second seed in the Eastern Conference.
Although the Sixers surpassed the Celtics, they still haven’t clinched a spot in the playoffs. Last week, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first team in the conference to guarantee their spot in the postseason. The Celtics became the second with a Miami Heat loss over the weekend.
On Sunday, the Sixers could’ve become the third team in the conference to get it done, depending on how the Heat performed.
With a matchup against the Detroit Pistons, the Heat were favored to come away with a win on Sunday night.
But in the event the Pistons pulled off an upset, the Sixers would’ve punched their ticket to the playoffs.
Detroit nearly got the job done. With a decent all-around effort led by the young center James Wiseman, who scored 22 points and came down with 13 rebounds, the Pistons almost upset the Heat. However, the Heat pulled away late in the game.
A 38-19 rally in the fourth quarter allowed the Heat to come back from a seven-point deficit and collect a 112-110 win in Detroit. The Heat picked up a much-needed win as they improved to 39-34 on the year.
Although Miami remains in the seventh seed, they are just one game behind the Brooklyn Nets.
As for the Sixers, their inevitable playoff-clinching moment waits another day.
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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