Sixers head to Atlanta with just a dismal dozen games remaining

Tonight’s game in Atlanta begins an incredibly soft stretch of the schedule which may determine the Sixers’ lottery fortunes.

Mercifully, we are entering the home stretch of the season with the Philadelphia 76ers having just 12 games left on the regular season slate. The Tankathon watch is getting hot and heavy, with the Sixers currently sporting the sixth-worst record in the Eastern Conference, nestled a half-game “ahead” of Brooklyn and a full game “behind” Toronto. These final dozen games will determine whether the Sixers have a 63.9 percent, 45.8 percent, or 31.9 percent chance of retaining their top-six-protected first-round pick. Philadelphia better strap on its tank helmets.

Tonight’s opponent, the Atlanta Hawks, played last night, hosting the Warriors and coming away with a 124-115 victory. Atlanta now sits at 34-36, good for seventh place in the Eastern Conference, meaning they’re likely looking at a couple cracks at getting a win during the Play-In Tournament to secure a spot in the playoffs. Granted, Jalen Johnson’s season-ending injury was unfortunate, but have the Hawks overtaken the Chicago Bulls as the league’s preeminent “treadmill of mediocrity” team? I guess it’s tough to throw stones from inside the glass house that the Sixers have built, but I wonder if Hawks fans have caught Play-In Tournament fever.

The Sixers’ injury report for tonight is as lengthy as we’ve become accustomed to, with a reminder that the below group does not include the handful of guys already deemed out for the season. The only thing I ask is that Philadelphia’s medical staff gathers up enough common sense to not allow Tyrese Maxey to take the floor using 8.5 fingers for the rest of the year.

For the Hawks, Jalen Johnson, Clint Capela, Kobe Bufkin, Larry Nance Jr., Keaton Wallace, and Jacob Toppin were all out against Golden State. Trae Young (achilles) and Caris LeVert (knee) played through a probable tag last night, so we’ll see if they’re both still available on the second half of the back-to-back. Young had a double-double last night with 25 points and 10 assists, and currently leads the league at 11.4 assists per game. Old friend George Niang chipped in 23 points off the bench against Golden State; he has been averaging 13.0 points per game since coming over in the trade from Cleveland.

At least the Sixers have undergone their tank in an ethical fashion. Four guys finished with 20 points or more in the most recent loss to San Antonio, but the fact that the team is shaking hands with new players and immediately slotting them in for rotation minutes has kept the losses flowing. The upcoming stretch is incredibly important for the Sixers’ tanking efforts. They play Atlanta this evening, then the Pelicans, Wizards, a Miami team that has lost 10 straight games, and Toronto. If Philadelphia can emerge from that cotton candy soft group of games with something like a 1-4 record, we can truly hope the lottery combinations will fall in their favor.

Game Details

When: Sunday, March 23, 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers