Boston Celtics Prevent 76ers From Snagging Second Seed This Week

The Philadelphia 76ers have been slowly but surely creeping up to the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed. As the Boston Celtics cooled down a bit late, the Sixers have been red-hot, riding the NBA’s longest active win streak at the moment.

Going into their Friday night matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, the Sixers had an opportunity to check off one of a few boxes to help them snag the second seed as early as Saturday.

First, Philly had to take care of business by taking down the Hornets. It was an easy mission to accomplish, as the 76ers dominated Charlotte on the road, collecting themselves a significant 121-82 win over the Hornets.

The results of a later game between the Celtics and the Portland Trail Blazers could’ve helped the Sixers get one step closer going into their back-to-back matchup against the Indiana Pacers.

But Boston didn’t do the Sixers any favors.

Paying a visit to Portland, the Celtics took care of business against the struggling Blazers. With an impressive effort from the star forward duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, the Celtics defeated the Blazers 126-112. With that win, the Celtics improved to 49-22 on the year.

As the Sixers head into their matchup against Indiana, they remain one game behind the Celtics. Collecting the second seed and facing a Play-In team is still a possibility for Philadelphia, but for the time being, they are placed third with a potential first-round matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

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