76ers clinch No. 7 seed
The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on April 15 to advance out of the East play-in and claim the No. 7 seed. (usatoday.com). With that result the playoff bracket filled in further — matchups now listed include Knicks vs. Hawks and Cavaliers vs. Raptors in the East and Nuggets vs. Timberwolves and Lakers vs. Rockets in the West. (cbssports.com)
Philadelphia is in as the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed after beating Orlando 109-97 in the play-in on April 15. (nba.com) Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Philadelphia won without Joel Embiid. The victory sent the 76ers into a first-round series against the Boston Celtics that begins Sunday, April 19. (nba.com) (espn.com) Orlando got 31 points from Desmond Bane but dropped into the East’s final play-in game instead of locking up a playoff spot Wednesday night in Philadelphia. (foxsports.com) (nba.com) The result filled in another piece of the 2026 bracket before the playoffs open April 18. In the East, the New York Knicks are set to face the Atlanta Hawks and the Cleveland Cavaliers are set to face the Toronto Raptors, while Boston now draws Philadelphia. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) In the West, the bracket already lists the Denver Nuggets against the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Los Angeles Lakers against the Houston Rockets. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are waiting on the final play-in results for their first-round opponents. (nba.com) (cbssports.com) The play-in tournament gives teams that finish seventh through 10th a path into the main playoff field. The No. 7 and No. 8 teams play for the seventh seed first, while the loser gets one more chance against the winner of the No. 9 versus No. 10 game for the eighth seed. (nba.com) Philadelphia finished the regular season 45-37, the same record shown for Orlando on the league’s bracket page, so Wednesday’s game decided which club moved directly into the seven slot. (nba.com) The next step is simple: the 76ers are out of the play-in and into a full best-of-seven series, with Boston waiting and Orlando still fighting to stay alive. (nba.com)
