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The Philadelphia 76ers enter an important road matchup Saturday night against the Charlotte Hornets, looking to hold on to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte trails by one game in ninth, but could erase that deficit with a win Saturday.
That would result in four teams being tied for the seventh seed, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Orlando and Miami.
With nine games remaining in the regular season, the stakes don't get much higher.
Each team will be eager to position themselves as the seventh or eighth seeds to avoid playing an elimination game on the road in the Play-In Tournament.
Luckily for Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey's health is trending in the right direction.
According to NBA insider Austin Krell, Maxey has been upgraded to questionable after missing the last 10 games with a hand injury.
When on the floor for the 76ers this season, Maxey has produced at an All-NBA level. The former Kentucky Wildcat is averaging a career-high 29 points to go along with 6.7 assists, 4.1 rebounds and two steals per game.
Kelly Oubre Jr. has also been upgraded to questionable with an elbow strain.
With Joel Embiid and Paul George returning in Philadelphia's last game against the Bulls, getting both Maxey and Oubre Jr. back against the Hornets would be a great boost.
That said, the Hornets are still a tough team to beat, currently riding a five-game win streak.
Following Saturday's matchup, the 76ers will face the Heat Monday in another important game.
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