By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Tip-off: 8:00 pm ❖ Location: Washington D.C. ❖ TV: ESPN ❖ Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The Philadelphia 76ers (32-25) have a big opportunity to win on the back half of a back-to-back, as they look for their eighth straight win against the Washington Wizards (34-25) on Sunday night.
The Sixers have been one of, if not the hottest team in all of basketball over the course of the last month or so. With seven straight victories under their belt, they have also won 12 straight at the Wells Fargo Center.
The amazing thing about the Sixers' winning streak, especially in an era of being one of the worst teams in basketball, is that these streaks don't come naturally. The rarity in these winning streaks is what is the most mind-blowing thing of all. The Sixers' last seven-game winning streak was back in 2009, and furthermore, the last time the Sixers were victorious in eight straight games was in 2003 when Larry Brown was the head coach and Allen Iverson was the superstar.
Simply put, it's been a long time since the Sixers have had prolonged success like this.
The Sixers and Wizards have already faced off three times this season, with Philly coming out on top in two of the contests. The Wizards haven't gotten the best of the Sixers since opening night in Washington.
The interesting part about the Sixers taking on the Wizards this season is that most of the year, John Wall has been sidelined due to an injury. On Sunday night, Wall's absence remains the same story, as the Wizards have struggled mightily this season without that one-two punch of Wall and Bradley Beal. Beal's play hasn't made that much of a mark against teams when Wall isn't available to play.
Wizards, Sixers in the race for the fourth seed
The race for the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference is a little too close for comfort right now. It honestly can't get anymore contested than it already is. Every team that is in the hunt for a playoff spot is within striking distance of the fourth seed, which the Wizards currently possess.
The Sixers are only a game behind Washington, which means only a game separates the sixth seed from the fourth seed.
| NBA Standings – Updated: February 25, 2018 | |||||
| EAST PLAYOFF RACE | W | L | GB | DIV | CONF |
| Toronto Raptors | 41 | 17 | – | 8-3 | 25-8 |
| Boston Celtics | 42 | 19 | 0.5 | 10-3 | 27-13 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 35 | 23 | 6 | 8-5 | 25-13 |
| Washington Wizards | 34 | 25 | 7.5 | 6-5 | 21-15 |
| Indiana Pacers | 34 | 25 | 7.5 | 8-6 | 24-15 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 32 | 25 | 8.5 | 4-7 | 18-13 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 33 | 26 | 8.5 | 5-6 | 20-17 |
| Miami Heat | 31 | 29 | 11 | 8-4 | 21-17 |
With the Wizards, they are holding tight to the fourth seed, but any tiny mistake could move them down the ladder pretty quickly. The Wiz have won three of their last four games, including a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. But, with a team like the Sixers who are on the up-and-coming, winning this kind of matchup without John Wall will be very difficult. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the Wizards and whether they can compete in the Eastern Conference against the teams above them.
Simmons and Embiid remain keys to Sixers success
It's obvious how important Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are to the Sixers' prolonged sucess and to keeping this win streak alive. The duo just keep producing and the team just keeps on winning. It's as simple as that.
Embiid will be in action tonight against Washington, as he will play in yet another back-to-back game, something that is becoming a norm for the big man who has dealt with countless lower body injuries throughout his career.
On Saturday against Orlando, Embiid tallied 28 points and 14 rebounds, and has reached the 20+ point mark in six of his last seven games, 34 total times this year. In the six games he's played during the seven-game streak, Embiid has averaged nearly 26 points and 13 boards.
Simmons continues to march in his Rookie of the Year crusade, leading all first-year players with 50 double figure games. He's shooting the ball 53 percent from the field this season, becoming a more valuable threat than he was at the beginning of the season.
| Matchup Preview | February 25, 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (32-25, 13-15 Away) |
Washington Wizards (34-25, 17-11 Home) |
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