The Philadelphia 76ers currently have a 34 wins against 28 losses, which has them slotted in at sixth place in the Eastern Conference. That has been their footing for quite some time now, although the team would definitely want to hold onto that guaranteed playoff spot and avoid the play-in tournament altogether in order to snap their one-year absence from the postseason.
The seventh-seeded Magic are just half a game away from them, but Philly's biggest threat to an outright playoff berth is not Orlando. It is the surging Charlotte Hornets, which has been on a historic stretch as of late. They now have a winning record (32-31), and are firmly in the play-in picture for now at No. 9 in the East.
If they keep their level of play up, the Hornets are bound to continue racking up wins. Their current starting five has been obliterating teams, and despite some clear holes on their roster, their uber-efficient offense has been more than enough to dispatch teams. They are now the most dangerous team in the East –– and the 76ers have to take notes.
The Hornets might be coming for the 76ers' playoff spot with their recent surge
Winners of six straight, Charlotte has come out firing since the calendar flipped to 2026. Since January 1, they have a 21-9 record, which is tied with Boston for the third-best mark in the league. This team has simply decided it wanted to be an elite team nearly overnight, and the quality of the teams they have beaten is no joke.
It is clear that the 76ers have to stop underperforming. While playing without Joel Embiid and Paul George has uncovered a lot of their weaknesses, it is high time for the role players to start manning up. Otherwise, teams on the rise this late in the season could easily pull the rug from under them and send them to sudden-death matches in the play-in tourney.
Philly can no longer afford to bank on the other teams chasing after them to lose here and there. With 20 games left on their plate, the 76ers are still in full control of their fate in this stretch run. If they want a much easier time returning to the playoffs, they have to seize that No. 6 at the very least.
Getting a higher seeding and perhaps homecourt advantage for at least the first-round would be huge, but for now, the 76ers have to be careful about not slipping up. After all, a team like the Hornets would be more than happy to step into the shoes they are currently wearing.