Seed-uction Sunday: Sixers' playoff fate comes down to chaos math

The scenarios are all set and a little bit dizzying, but that's what the playoffs are all about when you're vying just to get in, and that's where the Sixers are heading into Sunday's regular season finale against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks.

The Sixers helped themselves by snapping a three-game losing streak on Friday against the severely depleted Indiana Pacers. Their 105-94 win improved them to 44-37 on the year and ensured there will be a bunch of scoreboard watching on Sunday as all 30 teams in the league will be in action.

The Sixers, of course, will have to move forward in the postseason without Joel Embiid, who had his appendix removed on Thursday in Houston. Unless the Sixers advance well into the playoffs, it is improbable Embiid will return to action. Just what the action will be and who it will be against will be decided after tomorrow's games. So here is a look at the scenarios facing the Sixers.

First, here's how the Play-In Tournament works. 

The seventh seed will host the eighth seed. The winner of that game automatically becomes the seventh seed in the playoffs. The ninth seed hosts the 10th seed. The loser of that game is eliminated. The winner of that game will face the loser of the seventh and eighth seed game. That winner of that game will be the eighth seed and the loser is eliminated.

Miami and Charlotte are locked into the bottom two Play-In spots. Sunday will determine who is the higher seed.

Sixers win. Tonight, they clinched that their 83rd game of the season cannot be their last.

They enter the final day of the season as the 8 seed. They jump to 7 if they win + either Magic or Raptors lose Sunday. 6 seed requires a win + both lose. pic.twitter.com/cVP7LmkcOu

— Buzz (@dan_wilson4) April 11, 2026

If the Sixers lose to the Bucks, they will be the eighth seed no matter what else happens. That means they would travel to the seventh seed. But if the Sixers win there are many other factors that come in play:

1. If the host Toronto Raptors beat the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic defeat the host Boston Celtics, the Sixers are the eighth seed.
2. If Toronto and Boston win, the Sixers would be the seventh seed.
3. If Brooklyn and Orlando win, the Sixers would be the seventh seed.
4. If Brooklyn and Boston win, the Sixers would be the sixth seed and play the New York Knicks in the opening round, which begins on Saturday, April 18.

Of course, nothing is easy, not when your big man is dealt yet another health situation come playoff time. And the Sixers had to be holding their breath a little bit when Tyreese Maxey, who finished Friday with 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists, went off to the locker room late in the third quarter against Indiana. 

After reaching for a loose ball, Maxey immediately began holding his right pinky, an injury that kept him out of 10 games last month. Maxey returned in the fourth and seemed to have no problems, though he did shoot 1-for-10 on three-pointers for the night.

NOTES 

The Sixers waived guard Cam Payne and converted Dalen Terry's two-way contract into a standard one. Payne pulled a hamstring against Detroit last Saturday and wasn't going to be available for at least a couple of weeks. ... Paul George scored 21 points in his return to Indiana, where he was a Pacer for seven seasons. ... Adem Bona started at center, but Andre Drummond got the majority of minutes and contributed 10 points and 16 rebounds. ... VJ Edgecombe (16 points, nine rebounds, five assists) and Kelly Oubre, Jr. (15 points, seven rebounds) were also in double figures for the Sixers. ... Indiana turned the ball over 21 times compared to eight by the Sixers.