Ah yes well, the Sixers are in rough shape now. They lost to the Hawks yet again. They hung in there for awhile but the Hawks are seemingly just the better team especially without several of the Sixers' best players on the court. Even so, going 0-4 against them is pretty rough. 12% of the Hawks wins in 2025-26 (as of me writing this) have come against the Sixers.
I was sort of leaning into the idea that the Sixers were underdogs and well, I still will try my best to look at them in that light as the team awaits Joel Embiid and Paul George's return. But now after Saturday's game Tyrese Maxey is out too. Maxey only has a sprained pinky and will likely only be out for two games which is positive. It doesn't appear to be a major injury. But man, this is fairly rough timing. V.J. Edgecombe is also still out with his back injury, I'm starting to get worried about him now too. It would have been nice to have Jared McCain right about now.
The team will just have to have some patience here I guess. Maxey could use a break anyway, he always plays heavy minutes so may as well let him have a rest before the last stretch of the season and then the playoffs or play-in. Despite the Sixers' recent struggles it's hard to imagine them not making at least the play-in. They are seven games ahead of the eleventh seed Milwaukee Bucks.
Tonight, the Sixers face the fourth seed Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs look really good all of a sudden with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden being lethal guards. I noticed that on their official website the NBA said 'James Harden's Cavs'. How disrespectful. That is Donovan Mitchell's team point blank period. James Harden is still a good player but he's been on the Cavs for a month, while Mitchell is better than Harden and has been on the Cavs for years now. Pretty brain dead stuff by the NBA.
Still, the Cavs have looked good and they even have a chance to improve their place in the Eastern Conference with how they're playing. The only hope the Sixers have tonight is if the Cavs take the depleted Sixers lightly and play lazy basketball.
But it would be fantastic, and hilarious if the Sixers won tonight. Quentin Grimes will have to play out of his mind, as well as Kelly Oubre Jr. and Jabari Walker. The whole roster will have to overachieve.
But that's why they play the game, and that's why they get paid millions. Anything can happen!
