{"id":233592,"date":"2026-04-16T01:44:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T01:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/233592\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T01:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T01:44:27","slug":"orlando-magic-vs-philadelphia-76ers-nba-play-in-game-preview-and-odds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/233592\/","title":{"rendered":"Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers NBA Play-In Game preview and odds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NBA<\/a> play-in games on April 14 kicked off the playoffs, and they were an all-time watch. The Charlotte Hornets eliminated the Miami Heat on a LaMelo Ball game-winning layup in overtime, and the Trail Blazers used Deni Avdija to slide past the Suns for a playoff series with the San Antonio Spurs.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, the April 15 slate is just as entertaining, with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic squaring off. The winner will face the No. 2 Boston Celtics in Round 1 of the NBA playoffs. Matchups will be key in determing the outcome of this series.<\/p>\n

Point Guard: Jalen Suggs vs. Tyrese Maxey<\/p>\n

\"Tyrese\"TyresePhiladelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) passes the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Right away, you don\u2019t need to look far in the lineup to find a key matchup. This is a matchup between two point guards who have vastly different roles and play-styles for their teams.<\/p>\n

More: Full Spurs vs. Trail Blazers first-round schedule for 2026 NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Jalen Suggs is a solid, not spectacular option on offense, with 13.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game. However, his defensive capabilities make him a lot more valuable. He earned Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2023-24, and I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if he earned more this season. He has a staggering 1.8 defensive box plus\/minus, averaging the no. 11 most steals in the game (1.8 SPG).<\/p>\n

Tyrese Maxey, however, is a superstar talent and arguably the best point guard in the game right now. He has 28.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. He made his second All-Star appearance this season, and he\u2019s above average on defense too (0.5 DBPM, 1.9 SPG). As a result, Maxey should win this one easily. <\/p>\n

Winner: Tyrese Maxey<\/p>\n

Shooting Guard: Desmond Bane vs. VJ Edgecombe<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Jan 26, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) drives to the basket beside Cleveland Cavaliers guard Lonzo Ball (2) in the first quarter at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The shooting guard is also a matchup of contrasting backgrounds: a young, exciting rookie (Edgecombe) against a reliable veteran (Bane) that the Magic ponied a lot of first-round draft picks for. <\/p>\n

The Magic struggled to shoot threes last season, ranking dead last in the league with a .318 3P%. They got Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies to improve the spacing significantly, but so far, that gamble hasn\u2019t paid off. Bane is still a very good player, averaging 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game while leading the Magic in three-point percentage (39.1%). However, he\u2019s shown more offensive chops in Memphis than in Orlando.<\/p>\n

More: Most viewed players of the 2025-26 NBA season<\/a><\/p>\n

Edgecombe, meanwhile, has been spectacular as a rookie. The contributions of Cooper Flagg with the Mavericks and Kon Knueppel with the Hornets have overshadowed how well Edgecombe has done in Philadelphia, but he deserves his props too. He\u2019s averaged 16 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. The only knock on him has been his efficiency, as he\u2019s shooting just 43.8% from the field.<\/p>\n

Due to that, Desmond Bane wins this matchup. Bane is a better shooter, although Edgecombe is marginally better at defense, with his -0.1 DBPM barely above Bane\u2019s -0.2 DBPM. Bane also has experience in postseason basketball, whereas Edgecombe is a rookie. <\/p>\n

Winner: Desmond Bane<\/p>\n

Small Forward: Franz Wagner vs. Kelly Oubre Jr.<\/p>\n

\"20.\"20.Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) reacts after a basket against the Miami Heat in the third quarter at Kia Center. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Losing Franz Wagner was the biggest reason why the Magic didn\u2019t secure a playoff spot instead of a play-in game. Wagner has played in just 33 games due to various leg injuries, but since he came back into the lineup on April 1, the Magic are 5-2. <\/p>\n

That makes all the sense. Wagner is arguably the best player on the Magic, with 20.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game. He could be the leading scorer in any given Magic game.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, his impact dwarfs Kelly Oubre Jr.\u2019s with the 76ers. Oubre Jr. is a decent starting option, with 14.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. However, he\u2019s never had a positive box plus\/minus, and he\u2019s earned a -1.4 this season. Wagner should win this matchup by a landslide.<\/p>\n

Winner: Franz Wagner<\/p>\n

Power Forward: Paolo Banchero vs. Paul George<\/p>\n

\"4.\"4.Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots the ball against the Milwaukee Bucks during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This is the biggest matchup of the game. At first glance, Banchero looks like the better player by a wide margin. He has a team-leading 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, while George has 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.<\/p>\n

However, Paul George is a better defender than Banchero. George has earned DPOY votes four times in his career (2012-13, 2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19), and even outside of his prime, he still has an above-average 0.7 DBPM, where Banchero sits at a 0.0 DBPM.<\/p>\n

More: Full Lakers vs. Rockets first-round schedule for 2026 NBA Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Sure, George hasn\u2019t been that efficient, shooting 43.9% from the field, but Banchero isn\u2019t much better. He has a 45.9% shooting percentage, but just a 30.5% percentage from behind the arc. As a result of the advanced metrics, George earns the victory despite Banchero looking better on the box score.<\/p>\n

Winner: Paul George<\/p>\n

Center: Wendell Carter Jr. vs. Adem Bona<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Jan 30, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Toronto Raptors forward RJ Barrett (9) is guarded by Orlando Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. (34) in the fourth quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This matchup would\u2019ve gone the 76ers way if Joel Embiid was playing. Unfortunately, the talented big man was ruled out for this game, which is a huge blow to the 76ers\u2019 offensive attack.<\/p>\n

Wendell Carter Jr. is available for the Magic. He\u2019s not a focal point on the offense, with just 11.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, but he\u2019s able to score over 20 points every now and then, such as against April 3 against Dallas when he scored 28 points. <\/p>\n

More: Top 10 most worn shoes in NBA 2025-26 regular season<\/a><\/p>\n

He would be better than any other option the 76ers have at center. My guess would be Adem Bona, and the second-year center has just 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists. He hasn\u2019t scored 20 points or higher in any game this season, and while he\u2019s an above-average defensive center (1.2 blocks per game, 0.3 DBPM), he probably wouldn\u2019t make a bigger impact than Carter Jr.<\/p>\n

Winner: Wendell Carter Jr.<\/p>\n

Magic vs. 76ers\u2019 Bench<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Jan 7, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) drives for a shot against Washington Wizards guard Malaki Branham (8) during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Magic and 76ers don\u2019t rely on their bench. They\u2019re both near the bottom in bench points, with the 76ers ranking no. 29 (32.4 PPG) and the Magic ranking no. 28 (32.6 PPG). They\u2019re similarly structured too.<\/p>\n

Both teams have a guard that\u2019s producing better than some starters. Anthony Black of the Magic has taken a step forward offensively (15.0 PPG), while Quentin Grimes continues to make the Mavericks regret trading him.<\/p>\n

More: How to live stream Trail Blazers vs Suns: NBA play-in tournament, TV channel<\/a><\/p>\n

As a result, the starters are the biggest factors in this game. With the 76ers losing Joel Embiid in this game, I don\u2019t know if they can recover from that. The Magic have been amazing with Franz Wagner back in the lineup, so I believe they keep up their torrid pace and win by double-digits against the 76ers.<\/p>\n

Winner: Orlando Magic<\/p>\n

This game will take place at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the winner will face the no. 2 Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The loser will take on the Charlotte Hornets, who had a dramatic overtime victory over the Miami Heat.<\/p>\n

DraftKings Odds<\/p>\n

All odds are through DraftKings<\/p>\n

Spread: Philadelphia -2.5<\/p>\n

Over\/Under: 222.5 points<\/p>\n

Money Line: 76ers -128, Magic +108<\/p>\n

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call\u00a01-800-GAMBLER<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The NBA play-in games on April 14 kicked off the playoffs, and they were an all-time watch. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233593,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[17902,2295,104257,92028,139,141,1239,140,5799,37098,5847],"class_list":["post-233592","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-joel-embiid","tag-nba","tag-nba-play-in-tournament","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-magic","tag-orlando-news","tag-paolo-banchero","tag-paul-george","tag-philadelphia-76ers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233592","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233592\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233592"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}