Warriors, Sixers clinch play-in spots
In Play-In action, the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Los Angeles Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 109–97 to secure the East’s No. 7 seed — results that finalized several first-round matchups. Reports singled out vintage Stephen Curry for the Warriors’ win as the bracket took shape. (sports.yahoo.com) (cbssports.com)
Golden State and Philadelphia grabbed the National Basketball Association’s last two No. 7 seeds on Wednesday, locking in more of the 2026 first-round playoff bracket. (nba.com) The Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers 126-121 after trailing by 13 points in the fourth quarter, and Stephen Curry finished with 35 points in the win-or-go-home game. (espn.com) Philadelphia beat Orlando 109-97 at home behind 31 points from Tyrese Maxey and 19 points with 11 rebounds from V.J. Edgecombe, with Joel Embiid out for the game. (espn.com) The play-in tournament is the National Basketball Association’s four-team race in each conference for the No. 7 and No. 8 playoff seeds. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 for one playoff berth, while No. 9 hosts No. 10 in an elimination game. (cbssports.com) That format meant the Sixers clinched the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed with Wednesday’s win and moved into a first-round series against the No. 2 Boston Celtics that starts Sunday. Orlando did not advance directly and will get one more chance at the No. 8 seed. (espn.com) Golden State’s win kept the Warriors alive as the Western Conference’s remaining play-in team, while the Clippers were eliminated from the postseason. The Warriors now move on to the final West play-in game for the No. 8 seed. (espn.com) The bracket around them also sharpened this week. Portland had already claimed the West’s No. 7 seed and will face San Antonio, while Charlotte advanced in the East and will play Orlando for the final playoff spot. (cbssports.com) Four first-round series were already set before Wednesday: Detroit versus the East’s No. 8 seed, Boston versus Philadelphia, New York versus Atlanta, and Cleveland versus Toronto in the East; Oklahoma City versus the West’s No. 8 seed, San Antonio versus Portland, Denver versus Minnesota, and Los Angeles Lakers versus Houston in the West. (cbssports.com) The first round of the 2026 National Basketball Association playoffs begins Saturday, April 18, with the two No. 8 seeds still to be decided in the final play-in games on Friday. (cbssports.com)
