Victory vs. Kings Helps Sixers Pass Bucks in Eastern Conference

The Philadelphia 76ers are moving on up in the Eastern Conference. By defeating the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, the Sixers have managed to snag sole possession of the second seed for the time being, surpassing the Milwaukee Bucks.

Going into Saturday’s game against the Kings, the Sixers were on fire. After tipping off a five-game road trip out West, beginning with a game against the Utah Jazz, the Sixers picked up their first win of the trip. Then, they kept the ball rolling against the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Portland Trail Blazers.

The trip was set to conclude on Saturday in Sacramento. The Sixers missed two key starters as Joel Embiid, and James Harden got the night off due to injury management and recovery. With those two out of the mix, the Sixers started Tyrese Maxey and Montrezl Harrell.

Maxey led the charge for the Sixers on Saturday, scoring a game-high of 32 points. Harrell, De’Anthony Melton, and Tobias Harris, all scored at least 14 points out of the starting lineup. Then off the bench, Shake Milton and Georges Niang were among two of six 76ers to notch double digits in scoring.

Although the Sixers looked down, out, and bound to take on their first loss in five games on Saturday, as they trailed as many as 21 points on Saturday, a second-half comeback was in the cards. Philadelphia rallied off a 65-53 second-half showing against Sacramento.

Snapping the Kings’ six-game win streak, the Sixers built on their own success on Saturday and advanced to 30-16 on the year. With that win, the Sixers picked up sole possession of the second seed in the East, while the Bucks sit in third place for now.

Philadelphia trails only the Boston Celtics, who remain hot. While many Eastern Conference squads hit a skid at some point during the year, the Celtics have shown zero signs of slowing down. Currently, Boston’s on a nine-game win streak. With a 35-12 record, the Celtics are 4.5 games in front of the Sixers.

Beyond Philadelphia, the Bucks are one game back. Then, the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers. Miami Heat, New York Knicks, and Atlanta Hawks make up for the next five seeds at the moment.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.