Sixers To Face Magic in NBA Play-In Tournament
The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30pm. The winner of the matchup between the…
The Philadelphia 76ers will host the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Wednesday, April 15 at 7:30pm.
The winner of the matchup between the seventh-place Sixers and eighth-place Magic will clinch the seven seed and face the Boston Celtics in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. Boston will have home-court advantage as the two seed.
The loser will host the winner of the matchup between the ninth-seeded Charlotte Hornets and the tenth-seeded Miami Heat for a chance to clinch the final Eastern Conference playoff berth and knock off the Detroit Pistons in the first round.
The 2025-26 Sixers
The 2024-25 season plummeted into disaster. Health concerns surrounded Joel Embiid and Paul George entering 2025-26 also.
However, Tyrese Maxey emphatically stormed out of the gates to emerge as the franchise’s centerpiece in the first half of the regular season. Optimism surrounding third-overall pick VJ Edgecombe rejuvenated a franchise desperate for new energy.
The injuries piled up again. Embiid played only 38 games during the regular season. He alternated in and out of the lineup with a variety of injuries, and he's unlikely to see the court during the postseason without a deep Sixers run. Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. missed time during the second half of the season. Paul George played only 37 games because of injuries, load management decisions, and a 25-game midseason suspension.
Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesSixers Set To Face Magic
Maxey carried the load most consistently on the way to a 45-37 record. While George enters the postseason healthy, the Sixers will turn their eyes to their All-Star point guard for all hopes to survive the Play-In Tournament and begin a postseason run.
Maxey spoke about the message he'll share with Edgecombe, Adem Bona, and other young teammates entering their first postseason game.
“Just be prepared for anything… The playoffs – and playoff atmosphere, all that stuff – a lot of things weird happen in playoff games... Trust your work. Shoot the ball. Make plays when you’re open. Pay attention to detail. Know the scouting report.”
-Tyrese Maxey
The roller coaster in 2025-26 ultimately led Nick Nurse into a familiar position. The Sixers advanced to the Play-In Tournament in Nurse’s first season as head coach in 2023-24. They defeated the Miami Heat in the seventh- and eighth-place matchup to advance to the NBA Playoffs, where they lost a first-round series to the New York Knicks in six games.
The Sixers defeated the Magic on October 27 in their third game of the regular season, but the Magic bounced back with an emphatic 41-point blowout in Philadelphia in November. The Sixers won the regular season rubber match on January 9.
- October 27: 76ers 136, Magic 124
- November 25: Magic 144, 76ers 103
- January 9: 76ers 103, Magic 91
Nurse shared his impression of the looming Play-In opponent.
“That’s a very talented team. They haven’t hardly been healthy all year. Big wings and aggressive guards. (Jalen) Suggs and (Desmond) Bane are too competitive, physical guys back there. (Paolo) Banchero and (Franz) Wagner at the wings. They’ve got some decent depth. (Anthony) Black has had a great season when he’s been healthy too.”
-Nick Nurse
