Sixers stress importance of upcoming road matchups with Hornets, Heat

The Philadelphia 76ers are set to begin a hugely important road trip on Saturday when they take on the red-hot Charlotte Hornets before then heading down to South Florida to take on the Miami Heat. The Sixers are currently in a race to stay out of the play-in, but the Hornets and the Heat are nipping at their heels as Philadelphia looks to climb into the top 6. Heading into this contest with the Hornets, the Sixers are only one game ahead of a Charlotte team that has turned its season around and has been one of the better teams in the league since the calendar turned to 2026.

The winner of this matchup will also secure the tiebreaker as they are currently tied 1-1 in the 3-game season series. The same goes for the Heat on Monday as the tiebreaker is on the line there as well. "We feel that," Quentin Grimes told reporters on Friday.

"We know it's at stake. We know it's on the line. We know it's a tiebreak.

It’s 1-1 right now, with both of those teams. We have to come out with the right mindset, right attention to detail, right level of focus, and we should be able to get the job done. " Every game counts at this point for the Sixers.