76ers lock No. 7
Philadelphia beat Orlando 109‑97 to secure the East's No. 7 seed in the Play‑In Tournament. (That win sealed the Sixers' postseason berth on Wednesday and clarified the remaining play‑in matchups heading into Friday.) (usatoday.com) (espn.com)
Philadelphia grabbed the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 playoff seed on Wednesday night, beating Orlando 109-97 in the Play-In Tournament. (espn.com) Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, and rookie V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds for the 76ers. Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid and still closed with a 30-23 fourth quarter. (espn.com) The win moved Philadelphia into a first-round series against the Boston Celtics. Orlando dropped into the East’s final play-in game on Friday for the No. 8 seed. (espn.com) (nba.com) The Play-In Tournament gives the teams that finish seventh through 10th one last route into the bracket. The No. 7 team hosts No. 8 for the seventh seed, while the loser gets one more game against the winner of No. 9 versus No. 10 for the eighth seed. (nba.com) That format turned Wednesday’s game into a direct bid for a playoff spot, not just a seeding shuffle. Philadelphia’s win also locked in another East first-round matchup: the No. 7 seed now opens against the No. 2 Celtics on Sunday, April 19. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The East bracket around Philadelphia is now mostly set: the Detroit Pistons are the No. 1 seed, the Boston Celtics are No. 2, the New York Knicks are No. 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers are No. 4, the Toronto Raptors are No. 5, and the Atlanta Hawks are No. 6. Orlando’s result Friday will determine who faces Detroit as the No. 8 seed. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) The broader postseason calendar is already moving. The SoFi National Basketball Association Play-In Tournament runs April 14-17, and the first round of the playoffs starts April 18. (nba.com) For Philadelphia, the math is simple now: the play-in is over, the bracket is real, and Boston is next. (nba.com)
