Just how low are things for the Philadelphia 76ers?

Well, they’re really deep and depressing and that’s evidenced by the price of the Sixers just to make the NBA postseason.

FanDuel has the Sixers listed at +245  and DraftKings has them at +265 to qualify for the eight-team playoff field in the Eastern Conference. You’ll find various numbers within that range at PA sports betting apps.

It’s, um, bleak to the say the least, but as crazy as it sounds, there’s actually a path to the postseason if the big three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Podcast P play well together.

The Sixers come out of the All-Star break with 1.5 games to make up over the Chicago Bulls for 10th place to get into the play-in round.


Currently, the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat are in the No. 7-9 spots in the standings.

The conversation around the Sixers would’ve much different if they weren’t on a five-game losing streak and didn’t lose seven of their last eight going into the ASG break. Hell, there was a time where the Sixers were above even money to make the playoffs during the last few weeks.

No pressure here. But everything is dependent on the run of home games coming out of the break, starting Thursday against Boston. The Sixers play the Nets and Bulls after the Celtics, two must-win games, because the Nets are surprisingly tied for the same record as the Sixers right now.

Golden State and Portland then come into Wells Fargo Center after a quick trip to MSG to face the Knicks.

Realistically, the Sixers can go 4-2 in that six-game stretch and gain ground on Chicago and Brooklyn. It would be a nice start, but they have to string together consistent results to at least get into the play-in round.

The Sixers are -475 to qualify for the play-in round, which, if they don’t, it would be a catastrophic failure, but also not the most surprising result given how things have trended at points this season.

If you want to play the optimist role, the Sixers have Atlanta twice, Chicago twice, and Miami on two occasions between now and April 13th. Three of the final four games happen to be against the Heat, Hawks, and Bulls.

There’s only horrible road swing left. That comes in mid-March against mostly Western Conference teams.

So if everything goes right, which again is a big ask for the 2024-25 edition of the Sixers, there’s a realistic path to not just finish 10th in the Eastern Conference, but to potentially gain ground on some play-in rivals and maybe, just maybe, host one or two games in the play-in tournament.