NBA Play-In: Maxey’s Philadelphia Sixers beat the Magic and will face Boston in the playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers are back in the playoffs. Led by a stellar Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers defeated the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night in the play-in tournament, securing the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics.

This win marks Philadelphia’s return to the postseason after missing the playoffs last year with only 24 wins. For Orlando, the journey isn’t over: the Magic will have one last chance Friday night at home against Charlotte to grab the 8th seed and face Detroit.

Los @sixers de la mano de Tyrese Maxey ✨ pic.twitter.com/zVegcDTgFH

— NBA Latam (@NBALatam) April 16, 2026

Maxey catches fire at the right time, Drummond steps in for Embiid

Tyrese Maxey was the driving force behind this qualification with 31 points and 6 assists. The All-Star guard particularly shone in the fourth quarter, scoring seven consecutive points to put the game away for good just as Orlando had closed to within two points.

In the absence of Joel Embiid, still recovering from his emergency appendectomy, Andre Drummond filled his role perfectly with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. The veteran even capped the game in style with a corner three-pointer that brought the crowd to its feet.

VJ Edgecombe also delivered a remarkable performance in his first postseason game with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 19 points as well, including 5 made three-pointers, while Paul George added 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

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On Orlando’s side, Desmond Bane carried the offense with 34 points but didn’t receive enough support. Paolo Banchero had a completely off night with only 18 points on 7-of-22 shooting, missing all 5 of his three-point attempts. The Magic also struggled from deep as a team, shooting a poor 7-of-27 from beyond the arc.

The Sixers will open their series against Boston on Sunday afternoon, while Orlando must beat Charlotte on Friday to hope to reach the playoffs and challenge the Detroit Pistons, the No. 1 seed in the East.