Thanks to a 142-115 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers, the Washington Wizards have earned their playoff spot in the 1-8 matchup against the Sixers, set to begin this Sunday at 1pm, Eastern.
While maybe not the easiest of the four available play-in options, Washington presents an interesting challenge to start the postseason for a Sixers team with title hopes. Make no mistake: the Sixers should absolutely dispatch with Washington in short order, but the Wizards are one of the few down-bracket playoff teams that got especially hot down the stretch. After a horrid 18-32 performance throughout the season’s first 50 games, Washington went 16-6 to finish the year, spurred largely by rejuvenated play from point guard Russell Westbrook.