{"id":227862,"date":"2026-04-11T19:34:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:34:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/227862\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T19:34:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T19:34:10","slug":"orlando-magic-travel-to-boston-for-regular-season-finale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/227862\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Magic travel to Boston for regular-season finale"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO \u2014 Jevon Carter<\/a> last suited up as a member of the Bulls<\/a> on Jan. 31, roughly two months ago.<\/p>\n

Back inside United Center<\/a> with the Magic<\/a> on Friday night, the veteran guard helped Orlando win its fifth game in a row and remain in contention for a top-six playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. In the process, he got to assist in taking down the club that cut him more than halfway through the season while on its way to the NBA draft lottery.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need every win,\u201d Carter said in the locker room. \u201cYou\u2019re just trying to play the right way and help us get a win, but it was definitely fun being back, though, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Orlando\u2019s 24-point win, combined with Toronto\u2019s loss to New York on Friday, kept alive the possibility the Magic could avoid the Play-In Tournament and earn a top-six spot in the NBA Playoffs on Sunday. But they\u2019ll need help from an unlikely source.<\/p>\n

If the No. 6 Raptors (45-36) lose to the Nets (20-61) on Sunday and the No. 7 Magic (45-36) beat the No. 2 Celtics (55-26) on the road, Orlando would finish sixth and Toronto seventh. If both the Raptors and Magic win, the postseason standings wouldn\u2019t budge because Toronto won the regular-season series 2-1 over Orlando.<\/p>\n

The Magic aren\u2019t guaranteed the seventh seed yet, either. If the Magic fall at Boston and the 76ers beat the Bucks, Philadelphia would rise to seventh and Orlando would drop to eighth because the Sixers also won the regular-season series 2-1. But if both the Magic and Sixers lose Sunday, Orlando would finish seventh and Philadelphia eighth.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that 61-loss Brooklyn clinched a top-three berth in the draft lottery Friday, meaning a win Sunday wouldn\u2019t impact the Nets\u2019 odds to land the No. 1 spot in June\u2019s draft (14%).<\/p>\n

\"JevonJevon Carter (2) of the Orlando Magic is fouled by Yuki Kawamura of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on Friday, April 10, in Chicago. (Geoff Stellfox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Having the chance to reach the playoffs is part of the reason why Carter signed with Orlando. The game Friday was extra meaningful for him because he not only spent the better part of 2\u00bd years with Chicago, but also grew up less an hour outside of the city in Maywood, Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was fun,\u201d Carter said after his 29th appearance with the Magic. \u201cI was more so just trying to get a team win than I was worried about myself individually because we\u2019ve got high stakes right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sharing the ball helps fuel Magic winning streak<\/p>\n

The Magic got the win over the Bulls by sticking to what\u2019s worked best during Orlando\u2019s five-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

Jamahl Mosley<\/a>\u2018s group successfully shared the ball by dishing out 33 assists and defended at a high level in spurts by scoring 28 points off 20 takeaways.<\/p>\n

In the past five games that the Magic have won by an average of 13.4 points, they\u2019ve recorded 31.2 assists per night (fifth-most league-wide<\/a> in that stretch) and scored 24.8 points off turnovers (the most in the NBA<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\u201cWe seemed to do a good job moving it, playing with some pace on the offensive end,\u201d said Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter of the 24-point win. \u201cNot just transition pace, but just pace (in the halfcourt) and actions, movements, letting the ball pop.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then we finally dug in, locked in and got stops,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s what fueled the run. We talked about pushing (the lead) to 10-20 at half. We did that. \u2026 I thought it was a well-executed second half.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suggs (12 points) was one of six scorers to finish in double figures for the Magic, who improved to 19-9 this season when six-or-more players score in double digits. Franz Wagner led the way with 25 points in 23 minutes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have figured a little bit better rhythm and flow to our offense, especially,\u201d Wagner said. \u201cThat helps our defense in a lot of ways. It gives us a lot more confidence when shots maybe aren\u2019t falling or the other team goes on a run that we know what buttons to push to find (our way) back to our game. That\u2019s been a lot better these last couple of games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Implications for hosting Play-In game<\/p>\n

While avoiding the Play-In altogether is the goal, hosting the Nos. 7-8 game of the postseason tournament could be crucial, too. Home teams in the 7 vs. 8 game have gone 8-2 since 2021. The Magic clinched the No. 7 seed in the playoffs last year by handling the No. 8 Hawks inside Kia Center.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not yet known who could see the floor for the Celtics or for how long certain players might be in action Sunday because Boston clinched the No. 2 seed on Friday. The Magic are aware they still have to earn a road win over a team that\u2019s 29-11 at TD Garden this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, it doesn\u2019t matter. We\u2019ve got to handle our business,\u201d Suggs said about the possibility of Boston adjusting its lineup with nothing on the line. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to continue doing the things we\u2019ve been doing: Move the ball, have fun with the game, stay intentional about what we\u2019re working for and what we\u2019re getting ready to step into. And then whatever shakes out, shakes out, and that\u2019ll be that.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s more important to focus on what we\u2019ve got going on and what we\u2019re working towards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Injury report: Roster help might be on the way<\/p>\n

Some help with roster depth could be on the way, too. The Magic upgraded both Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) to questionable on the team\u2019s initial injury report for Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n

Isaac has missed the last 16 games while Howard the past four.<\/p>\n

Mosley outlined what he wants to see from his team in the final game of the regular season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way we\u2019ve been sharing it, that\u2019s big,\u201d the Magic coach said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been doing a great job of that. Can we take care of it against a great defensive Boston team and how do we guard them?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to make sure the game plan is tight and our communication at a high level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Up next \u2026<\/p>\n

Magic at Celtics<\/p>\n

When:\u00a06 p.m., Sunday, TD Garden<\/p>\n

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