NBA 2012 standings: 76ers sit at 4th in Atlantic

Despite snapping a five-game skid against the Atlanta Hawks last night, the Philadelphia 76ers still find themselves sitting at fourth place in the Atlantic Division. However, there is only a very small gap between Philadelphia and the two teams in front of them, the Boston Celtics and Brooklyn Nets. The 76ers should have immediate opportunity to move up starting with a road trip to Brooklyn on Sunday night.

The New York Knicks are the runaway leader in the division at 19-7, 5 1/2 games up on the second-place Nets, who sit at 13-12. That starts a bunching of three teams within one game of each other in Boston (13-13) and Philadelphia (13-14). The Toronto Raptors, at 9-19, are a distant fifth, 11 games behind the Knicks and 4 1/2 games behind Philadelphia for fourth.

The next few days should provide some clarity in the middle of the standings, with Brooklyn hosting Philadelphia on Sunday night followed by a Christmas Day matchup with Boston.