Tyrese Maxey erupts for 31 points, powering the Philadelphia 76ers past the Orlando Magic. This sets up a first-round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics.
The Philadelphia 76ers managed to beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 in the East play-in game to clinch the No. 7 seed and set up a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics.
Tyrese Maxey carried the Sixers with 31 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia managed to pull away late to secure the win. Orlando now has to fight through one more elimination game against the Charlotte Hornets to keep their season alive.
For Orlando, Paolo Banchero struggled badly. He finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists, and six turnovers while shooting 7-22 from the field and 0-5 from three. The forward struggled all night as his drives were stuffed by Philadelphia's bigs, and his jumpshot would not fall. As a result, the Magic's offense struggled to generate offense in a game that was in their reach for all four quarters.
Philadelphia's supporting cast gave Maxey the help he needed. VJ Edgecombe and Andre Drummond both posted double-doubles, Kelly Oubre added 19 points, and Paul George chipped in with 16. That secondary production mattered due to how the game slowed down, as the contest became a matter of which teams' players could create better out of isolation situations.
Orlando got a strong scoring night from Desmond Bane, who led all scorers with 34 points on 10-16 shooting. Franz Wagner added 12 points, and Wendell Carter Jr. finished with 11 rebounds, but the Magic did not get enough production. Jalen Suggs struggled mightily, and Orlando's turnover issues made it hard to string good possessions together.
Maxey was the difference for Philadelphia. With Joel Embiid out, Philadelphia needed him to constantly isolate and create on his own. While Maxey is not at his absolute best in isolation situations, he still managed to deliver, as he managed to get to the rim, make timely shots, and make solid kick-outs when Orlando loaded the paint.
Now the focus shifts to Boston. The Celtics are a much tougher matchup and a deeper, better-constructed team than Orlando. The Sixers will need a similar game from Maxey and more offensive firepower from the rest of their roster if they want to make things competitive. The play-in was the first step; Philadelphia still has a long road ahead of them.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.