The Sixers Finish March With a 3-14 Record, as They've Officially Been Eliminated From Playoff Contention

Corey Chmara

To put it lightly, the Sixers are eagerly waiting for this season to come to an end, sitting at an abysmal 23-52 record. Really, the only thing keeping Sixers fans optimistic is the possibility of landing a top-six pick in the 2025 NBA Draft—if the pick lands in the top six. Regardless, there are just seven games left in the season, with only two weeks remaining.

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Philly is currently riding an eight-game losing streak, which was at just four at the start of the week. On Monday, they took on the New Orleans Pelicans, who were legitimately without everyone—no Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and of course, Dejounte Murray. The Sixers were without Quentin Grimes, who was listed as out due to “rest.” It was a pretty rough game to play in and watch, as the Sixers fell 112-99, despite solid efforts from Jared Butler and Justin Edwards, who both scored 19 points.

After a grueling six-game road trip, the Sixers finally returned home in what felt like a month-long stretch away. On Wednesday, they welcomed the Washington Wizards to town—who entered the game with a worse record than Philly. Grimes returned in this one, and the Sixers rolled out a somewhat respectable starting five (Dowtin Jr., Grimes, Council IV, Edwards, and Yabusele), but it still wasn’t enough to outlast Alex Sarr and the Wizards. Again, it’s nice to win sometimes, but the losses aren’t the end of the world. The Sixers dropped this one 119-114.

Following the loss to Washington, the Sixers had two days off before hosting the Miami Heat. A loss in this game would officially eliminate Philly from playoff contention... and it did just that. The Heat came out firing, led by nine at the half, and stretched the lead to 21 by the end of the third. That was all she wrote. The Sixers lost 118-95 and were officially eliminated from postseason play—although, realistically, they had already eliminated themselves weeks ago.

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To close out the week, the Sixers matched up against the Toronto Raptors, who, like Philly, could be in the mix for a top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Just like on Monday, Grimes sat this one out due to rest. He’s really the only guy giving the Sixers a chance with the current state of the roster, so this one already felt like a loss. With both Scottie Barnes and RJ Barrett playing for Toronto, the Raptors cruised to a 127-109 win. Not much to dissect—Toronto just had the better players.

Looking ahead, the Sixers will kick off the final two weeks of the season Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, who are currently without All-Star Jalen Brunson. On Thursday, the Sixers will host the Milwaukee Bucks—another top-six team in the East. To close out the week, Philly will welcome the red-hot Minnesota Timberwolves to town Saturday night, who finished March with an impressive 11-3 record.

Only two more weeks of this hell, Sixers fans. Just have to get through it.

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