Sixers' Division Rival Secures Second Seed for 2024 NBA Playoffs

Pending a win on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers could face the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.

Feb 10, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) with New | Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

On the final day of the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves still fighting for playoff position. They were not the only ones, as the top of the East’s standings weren’t set in stone either.

The Sixers managed to end their schedule on a high note, taking down the Brooklyn Nets in their final game. Now, they will begin preparing to take on the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament. If the Sixers win, they’ll be locked in with the No. 7 seed.

For most of the year, the Milwaukee Bucks held on to second place. However, their struggles in recent weeks allowed other teams to gain ground. Among those to get within striking distance was Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks. After taking down the Chicago Bulls in their final game, they jumped the Bucks to clinch the No. 2.

Now that the standings are finalized, the Sixers know who they’ll be facing depending on the results of the play-in. It’ll either be the Knicks as the seventh seed, or the Boston Celtics as the eighth seed.

The Knicks are a team the Sixers didn’t have much success against in the regular season, winning just one of their four matchups. They last played in the middle of March in a two-game mini-series. Each team ended up winning one game, but it’s worth noting the Sixers were without Joel Embiid at the time.

The NBA already released the schedule for the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament. Embiid and company will host the Heat on Wednesday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 pm.