Magic and Sixers Fight For Playoff Seeding
Philadelphia Widely Favored Per the Magic vs 76ers Lines
It is crunch time for the NBA! The NBA playoff schedule has yet to be solidified and due to the new Play-In Tournament rules, almost every team is fighting for something. The Magic and 76ers are smack dab in the middle of the Eastern Conference standings, and every win matters. The Magic vs 76ers lines opened at Sixers -7 with a total of 211 points.
As of Thursday, the Magic are currently the fifth seed in the East and the Sixers are the seventh seed. They are only separated by one loss.
As things currently lay, the Sixers must fight out of the Play-In Tournament to make the playoffs. But a win on Friday (and their last game) would likely put the Sixers into the sixth seed.
Without going too deep into tie-breaker scenarios and hypotheticals, we know that this game matters. Both these teams will enter this game with a playoff mentality and we expect this to be a good one.
Let’s take our Magic vs 76ers lines, look into this matchup, NBA rumors, and player stats to make some bets.
Magic vs 76ers 
Records: Orlando Magic (46-34), Philadelphia 76ers (45-35)
Day/Time:
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Streaming: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports Florida
Embiid is What You Need
Joel Embiid is back. He’s only played four games since his return from a knee injury. But it seems he has picked up where his MVP campaign left off. Although his NBA MVP odds are no longer relevant (he will fail to meet the 65-game minimum), Embiid is looking to add a different trophy to his case, the Larry O’Brien.
The Sixers have not lost a game since Embiid’s return. They are not looking to slow down until they reach their goal of an NBA championship. They’ve won six games in a row, including two solid victories against Miami and Oklahoma City. Philly is surging to escape the Play-In tournament. In its last five games, it is second in the league in defensive rating and twelfth in offensive rating.
Embiid has scored 30 or more in his last two games, but we expect Friday’s game to be a defensive battle. The Magic allow the fourth-fewest points to Centers and the third-fewest rebounds. Although Embiid is surging and will be locked in to get his team the necessary win on Friday, check out his points or rebounds prop bets for a possible under.
Joel Embiid was the Best and most Versatile Defender this Season.. (via nbarecappod/tt)
*He also averaged 35 on 53-38-88 splits🔥 pic.twitter.com/n5zLO8X0e3
— CBain (@cbain100) April 11, 2024
Don’t Let Go, Orlando
The Magic cannot let go of the ropes. After an amazing season, they are precariously close to dropping into the danger zone of the Play-In seeding. They have lost two games in a row, and are only 4-6 in their last ten games. Unlike the Sixers, they seem to be trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time.
In their last game, they were not able to contain an Antetkounmpo-less Bucks team, losing 117-99. They had decent scoring nights from Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Cole Anthony. But with nobody else on their team scoring in double-digits, it wasn’t enough to survive big nights from Bobby Portis Jr. and Damian Lillard.
One Magic player to look at in this matchup is Jalen Suggs. Although we think that overs aren’t the bet to make in what we are expecting to be a defensive battle, Suggs has been excelling on offense lately.
Suggs is averaging 19.3 points, three assists, and 2.7 rebounds in his last three games, and has hit his assist over in five of his last eight games. With Gary Harris returning, monitor Franz Wagner’s injury status Friday (currently questionable to play), if Franz plays we expect Suggs to take a step back offensively.
Jalen Suggs admitted “it’s so hard to stay locked in cuz I can’t want to play in the playoffs. I’m so excited” via @Magic_PR
“It’s something that a lot of us have never experienced before. New opportunity for us all. You have to get excited for that, it’s impossible not to” pic.twitter.com/iMSdK0uoRn
— Fawzan Amer (@FawzanAmer_) April 8, 2024
Too Close to Call
The Magic vs 76ers lines opened at Sixers -7 with a total at 211. With Embiid healthy, Philly playing at home in a must-win is all we need to bang the 76ers money line and feel pretty confident in them covering the spread.
The Magic are 3-7 against the spread (ATS) in their last ten games, and Philly is 8-0 ATS in its last eight. Orlando is also 1-5 ATS in their last six games against the Sixers, and 1-10 straight up in their last 11 games on the road against Philly.
These teams have gone 5-5 in over/under in their last ten NBA matchups, but under in four of their last six. These teams have been both trending over of late (Philly six of last eight, Orlando four of last five), but we think the under is in play in what should be a playoff-type game.
For NBA betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.
