Getty Philadelphia 76ers teammates Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris
After slipping up in Game 1 of the opening round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs, the Philadelphia 76ers have managed to right the ship. The three-seed Sixers gave up home court advantage to the Brooklyn Nets in the opener but won back-to-back games, including a Game 3 victory on the road.
In turn, Philly has now regained the edge in their first-round matchup and hold a 2-1 lead in the series against Brooklyn. While there’s still work left to be done, we’re going to take a look at the Sixers schedule and potential path to the 2019 NBA Finals.
Eastern Conference NBA Playoff Bracket
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The Eastern Conference has provided a few interesting results, but much of the drama has come out of the Western Conference. With that said, Philly’s potential second-round opponent in the Toronto Raptors had a slip-up in Game 1 of their series against the Orlando Magic as well.
NBA Playoff Results & Philadelphia 76ers’ Path to Finals
After the Raptors fell to the Magic in their series opener, they bounced back with a dominant 111-82 victory at home. The series now shifts to Orlando where the Magic will try to either extend their lead or at least head back to Toronto with things knotted at 2-2. If the Sixers advance, it’ll mean a date with either Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors or Nikola Vucevic and the Magic following what would be a huge upset.
The Sixers and Raptors met four times during the regular season with Toronto winning three of those matchups by double digits. Philadelphia’s lone victory came in late December when their opponent was without Leonard and Serge Ibaka, but it was by a 25-point margin.
On the other half of the Eastern Conference bracket, the Milwaukee Bucks have jumped out to a 2-0 lead with the series heading to Detroit for Games 3 and 4. The Boston Celtics have also impressed early by jumping out to a 2-0 lead against the Indiana Pacers. If the Sixers were able to defeat the Nets and then either Raptors or Magic, it would set up a date with the winner from the two teams who advance to the other East semifinal.
Philadelphia 76ers NBA Playoff Schedule: Round 1
While we know when the Sixers and Nets will play moving forward, the second-round dates and times will come after the first round gets close to wrapping up. Here’s a look at the rest of the schedule for the current series, courtesy of NBA.com.
- Game 4: Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets – Saturday, April 20 at 3 p.m. ET
- Game 5: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers – Tuesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET
- *Game 6: Philadelphia 76ers at Brooklyn Nets – Thursday, April 25 at TBD
- *Game 7: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers – Saturday, April 27 at TBD
*If necessary
With the Sixers holding a 2-1 series lead, victories in the next two games would send them onto round two. If not, there’ll be a Game 6 in Brooklyn and possibly a Game 7 in Philadelphia.
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