The NBA play-in tournament continued Wednesday as four teams looked to get one step closer to a playoff berth.
In the Eastern matchup, the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 109-97 to advance to face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Magic will play the Charlotte Hornets on Friday for the No. 8 seed; the Hornets advanced by beating the Miami Heat 127-126 in overtime Tuesday.
The 76ers were without Joel Embiid, who underwent emergency surgery after being diagnosed with appendicitis. Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 31 points, including 11 in the fourth quarter. Rookie VJ Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. also scored 19. Orlando’s offense struggled outside of Desmond Bane, who poured in 34 points on 10-of-16 shooting.
The late game featured the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors, with the Warriors rallying for a 126-121 victory to end the Clippers’ season. Golden State will play the Phoenix Suns on Friday for the No. 8 seed; the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Suns 114-110 Tuesday to earn a date with the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Stephen Curry scored 35 points for the Warriors, 27 of them in the second half, on 12-of-23 shooting. Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis each had 20 points. For the Clippers, Bennedict Mathurin led with 23 points, while Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland added 21 apiece; Garland fouled out with 46 seconds remaining.
Here are the top moments and highlights from Wednesday’s play-in games.
