(My Sportsbook) - The Philadelphia 76ers moved up the Eastern Conference standings without even playing a game last night. The team will try to maintain the coveted fifth spot in the playoff race in Friday's matchup versus the Charlotte Bobcats.

The fourth or fifth-seeded squad in the East will avoid matchups with conference powerhouses Cleveland, Boston or Orlando in the first round. The Sixers are just four games behind the fourth-seeded Atlanta Hawks and will shoot for their fourth straight win overall and fifth in a row at the Wachovia Center this evening.

The Sixers rallied to beat Minnesota, 96-88, Wednesday at home thanks to 29 points from second-year star Thaddeus Young. Andre Miller ended with 15 points and seven rebounds in a winning effort.

Young has scored 20-plus points in five straight games.

Andre Iguodala finished with 15 points, seven boards and six assists for the Sixers, who were coming off a 3-2 road trip and improved to 21-14 as the host this season. Philadelphia has won seven of its last nine games overall.

Charlotte is still alive in the postseason hunt and currently sits three games off the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Since winning a franchise- record six straight games, the Bobcats have dropped two straight and five of their last eight.

The Bobcats suffered a 95-93 defeat at the hands of the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Gerald Wallace posted 21 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte, but missed the potential-tying free throw with 6.5 seconds remaining.

D.J. Augustin and Emeka Okafor both scored 15 points and Raymond Felton chipped in 14 points and eight assists in the loss.

Charlotte is 11-23 away from home this season and will try to give head coach Larry Brown a win at his former stomping grounds. Brown coached the 76ers from 1997-2003, compiling a 255-205 regular-season mark with a 28-30 playoff ledger.

The 2008-09 season series between Charlotte and Philadelphia is tied at a game apiece, but the Sixers have won nine of 16 lifetime meetings with the Bobcats. The 76ers are unbeaten in the last five contests as the host in this series.