Sixers beat Magic
The Philadelphia 76ers won their NBA play‑in game against the Orlando Magic and will face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. (cbsnews.com). The result was confirmed in local coverage that also noted the broader postseason bracket is now underway. (espn.com)
Philadelphia beat Orlando 109-97 on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference play-in and locked up the No. 7 seed. The 76ers now open a first-round series against Boston. (espn.com) Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points for Philadelphia, and rookie V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Orlando got 34 points from Desmond Bane, but the Magic were outscored 30-23 in the fourth quarter. (espn.com) (basketball-reference.com) The game was played at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on April 15, with both teams entering at 45-37 after the regular season. The win sent the 76ers straight into the playoff bracket, while Orlando dropped into the final play-in game for the East's No. 8 seed. (nba.com) (espn.com) The play-in tournament gives the teams that finish seventh through 10th one more route into the postseason. The No. 7 and No. 8 teams play for the seventh seed, and the loser gets one more chance against the winner of the No. 9-No. 10 game. (nba.com) That format mattered in Philadelphia because the 76ers avoided an extra elimination game and moved directly into a series with the No. 2 Celtics. ESPN's playoff bracket listed Philadelphia as Boston's first-round opponent after Wednesday's result. (espn.com) Philadelphia advanced without Joel Embiid, according to the Associated Press recap carried by ESPN. Maxey and Edgecombe carried much of the scoring load, and the 76ers closed the game with enough separation to keep Orlando from forcing a late-possession finish. (espn.com) Boston finished the regular season 56-26 and entered the East bracket as the No. 2 seed, setting up another postseason meeting between Atlantic Division rivals. Philadelphia reached that matchup by winning the first play-in game available to it instead of taking the longer route through Friday's final qualifier. (sportingnews.com) (nba.com) Game 1 of Celtics-76ers is scheduled for Sunday in Boston, with Game 2 set for Tuesday before the series shifts to Philadelphia on April 24. The play-in win changed the 76ers' week from survival mode to a playoff opener against one of the East's top seeds. (usatoday.com)
