Play‑In: 76ers, Warriors win
Wednesday’s NBA Play‑In saw the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 112–108 without Joel Embiid, locking Philly into the No. 7 seed to face Boston in the first round. (sports.yahoo.com) Golden State also beat the Clippers on Wednesday to secure a playoff slot as the bracket finished being finalized across outlets. (sports.yahoo.com)
Philadelphia grabbed the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed on Wednesday night, and Golden State stayed alive in the Western Conference with a late comeback. (nba.com, nba.com) The 76ers beat Orlando 109-97 in Philadelphia even though Joel Embiid missed the game after an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, rookie V.J. Edgecombe had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Andre Drummond added 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. (nba.com) Philadelphia’s win set a first-round series against Boston, with Game 1 scheduled for Sunday, April 19, at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Orlando did not clinch a berth and instead moves to a Friday play-in game against Charlotte for the East’s No. 8 seed. (nba.com, espn.com) The play-in tournament gives teams that finish seventh through 10th in each conference a short path into the bracket. In the 7-versus-8 game, the winner goes straight to the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, while the loser gets one more chance against the winner of the 9-versus-10 game. (nba.com) That format made Wednesday a clinching night for Philadelphia but an elimination night for the Clippers. Golden State, the West’s No. 10 seed after a 37-45 regular season, beat Los Angeles 126-121 and advanced to a final play-in game at Phoenix on Friday for the No. 8 seed. (nba.com, nba.com) Stephen Curry scored 35 points for the Warriors, including 27 in the second half, and his seventh three-pointer broke a tie with 50.4 seconds left. Golden State closed on a 16-6 run after trailing by 13 points in the fourth quarter. (nba.com) The Clippers’ season ended with their first playoff miss since 2022, despite a 42-40 finish and a 98-85 lead with 9:53 remaining. Kawhi Leonard scored 21 points, Bennedict Mathurin led Los Angeles with 23, and Darius Garland added 21 before fouling out in the final minute. (nba.com, espn.com) The bracket now has one East series locked in and one West spot still open. Philadelphia opens against Boston on Sunday, while Orlando-Charlotte and Phoenix-Golden State on Friday will decide the final No. 8 seeds. (nba.com)
