The 76ers were forced into a do-or-die situation without their reigning MVP, but a sudden appearance in the locker room and an aggressive stand by their youngest star changed the mood of the night. Yankee Scores reports on the unexpected event that pushed Sixers past the Magic.
Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, V.J. Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers weathered the absence of Joel Embiid to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night and secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
The Sixers moved on to a first-round series that begins Sunday at Boston.
The Road Ahead
Desmond Bane and the Magic aren’t done yet. They will host Charlotte on Friday night in the SoFi Play-in Tournament finale. The winner earning the No. 8 seed in the East and a first-round matchup with Detroit.
The Hornets held on to beat Miami 127-126 when Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer.
Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball will play against Orlando, although he was fined $35,000 for what the league said was an uncalled flagrant foul when he tripped Bam Adebayo, causing a back injury that forced the Miami star out of the game.
Locker Room Surprise: Embiid Returns to the Bench
Embiid had an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston.
The 76ers haven’t given a timetable for his return. The two-time scoring champion returned to the team on Wednesday. He surprised teammates in the locker room and watching the game from the bench.
Maxey was named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter for the first time in his career. He scored seven straight points late in the fourth to give the Sixers some breathing room against Magic. Magic wasted a chance to play this game at home with a late collapse in a loss to the Celtics in the season finale.
Bane, who averaged 20.1 points and played all 82 games, carried Orlando’s offense with 34 points. He hit a 3 that moved Orlando within two and Black hit a 3 that pulled the Magic to 87-86.
Maxey had a bit more help down the stretch.
Andre Drummond filled the void left by Embiid with 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points and Paul George had 16.
The Rookie Statement
George served a 25-game suspension this season for flunking a drug test. He hit a fadeaway jumper in the third quarter that stretched the lead to seven and prompted an Orlando timeout. He later popped the ball free and dumped it to Edgecombe, who dunked on — and got in the face of — Jalen Suggs for a 73-62 lead.
Edgecombe, the No. 3 overall pick in last year’s draft, was whistled for taunting and officials had to separate the teams. Oubre waved his arms toward a roaring crowd and the Sixers seemed primed to build some separation.
