76ers Secure No. 7 Seed in Eastern Conference Playoffs

The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Orlando Magic 109-97 on Wednesday night, securing the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Tyrese Maxey scored 31 points, while VJ Edgecombe contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The victory came in the absence of Joel Embiid, who had an emergency appendectomy last week. With this win, the 76ers will advance to a first-round series that begins on Sunday. The Magic will have another opportunity to qualify for the playoffs, as they are set to host Charlotte on Friday night.

The winner of that game will earn the No. 8 seed and face Detroit in the first round. Maxey, who was named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter for the first time in his career, played a crucial role in the final moments of the game, scoring seven consecutive points to help secure the victory.

Andre Drummond filled in for Embiid, contributing 14 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paul George also added 19 and 16 points, respectively. Orlando's Desmond Bane led his team with 34 points, keeping the game competitive until the end.

The Magic had a chance to secure home-court advantage but suffered a loss to the Celtics in their season finale, which affected their playoff positioning. The game featured moments of intensity, including a taunting incident involving Edgecombe and Jalen Suggs, which required officials to intervene. The Associated Press contributed to this report.