Philadelphia 76ers lead Orlando Magic at halftime in No. 7 seed play-in game

Joel Embiid is recovering from an appendectomy, leaving the Philadelphia 76ers to defend their home court against the Orlando Magic without their star center. Both teams entered Wednesday’s play-in game with identical 45-37 records, fighting for the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers are playing without Joel Embiid

Philadelphia held a 59-55 lead at halftime. Tyrese Maxey paced the Sixers with 16 points and five assists, whereas VJ Edgecombe and Andre Drummond helped secure a 9-2 run before the break. The Magic struggled to maintain momentum despite winning five straight games earlier in the season.

Orlando’s head coach Jamahl Mosley is reportedly coaching for his job. He’s leading a team that dropped its final regular-season game to a Boston Celtics squad that was resting key players.

Why the No. 7 seed matters

The victor earns the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup with the No. 2 Boston Celtics. A loss forces Orlando into a second play-in game on Friday, April 17, against the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets advanced after beating the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime on Tuesday.

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The Magic faced a similar play-in scenario last season, where they beat the Atlanta Hawks to advance before losing their first-round series to Boston in five games. If Orlando fails to secure the 7th seed, they’ll fight for the 8th spot to face the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

In the West, Curry faces Leonard

The Los Angeles Clippers host the Golden State Warriors in a matchup between two former NBA Finals MVPs. Stephen Curry is on a minutes restriction after missing 27 games with a knee injury, while Kawhi Leonard is coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 27.9 points.

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The Clippers won the season series 3-1 against the Warriors. The winner of this game will face the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the final playoff berth, while the loser is eliminated from postseason contention.

What happens if the Orlando Magic lose on Wednesday?

They’ll host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, April 17, to compete for the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Why is Joel Embiid missing the game?

He’s currently recovering from an appendectomy.