Magic dominate, advance
Orlando 'dominated' Charlotte in the play‑in and advanced to face the Detroit Pistons in the next round. (youtube.com) The result positions Orlando as a team that will enter Detroit with momentum from a decisive win. (youtube.com)
Orlando beat Charlotte 121-90 on Friday night to lock up the Eastern Conference’s No. 8 seed and move into a first-round series against Detroit. (nba.com) The SoFi NBA Play-In game at Kia Center ended with Orlando up 31 points after a 32-22 fourth quarter. Paolo Banchero scored 25 points, Franz Wagner added 21, and Orlando had seven players in double figures. (nba.com) Charlotte finished with 90 points after trailing 32-22 at the end of the first quarter and 58-47 at halftime. LaMelo Ball led the Hornets with 23 points, but Charlotte shot 38.6% from the field and 28.1% from 3-point range. (nba.com) The play-in decides the final two playoff spots in each conference, with seeds 7 through 10 playing for the No. 7 and No. 8 positions. Orlando entered Friday as the East’s No. 8 team at 45-37, while Charlotte arrived at 44-38. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) That result sent Orlando into the bracket against Detroit, the East’s No. 1 seed. Game 1 is set for Sunday, April 19, in Detroit, and Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday, April 22. (nba.com) Detroit’s side of the bracket had been waiting for the play-in winner since the regular season ended. The league’s playoff bracket listed the Pistons against the East’s No. 8 seed, with the matchup finalized after Orlando’s win on April 17. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) Orlando is back in the postseason after a second straight appearance in the play-in tournament. The Magic game notes released before Friday’s game said it was the franchise’s second straight and second overall trip through the play-in format. (nba.com) Now the margin that got Orlando through Charlotte becomes the backdrop for a much harder series: the Magic leave the play-in with a 31-point win, and the next stop is Detroit on April 19. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
