The Orlando Magic are in Philadelphia to take on the 76ers while the Golden State Warriors take on the L.A. Clippers.
It’s going to be tough to top the level of excitement off last night’s NBA Play Tournament games. At least the Miami Heat-Charlotte Hornets game, anyway.
LaMelo Ball, ice cold in terms of three-point shooting (2-16), made a clutch lay-up with just 4.7 seconds remaining, as the Hornets beat the Heat 127-126 in overtime. Goat to hero, just like that. (Not that Amazon Prime Video viewers got to see all of it – the stream got cut off during OT and fans missed 22 seconds of playing time).
The Heat’s Tyler Herro had just made three free throws to give Miami the 126-125 leads with 8.7 seconds left, setting up Ball’s heroics.
In the second Play-In game last night, Deni Avdija had 41 points, leading the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-100 upset win in Phoenix over the Suns, to take the Western Conference’s seventh seed.
Tonight, the No. 8 Orlando Magic (45-37, 19-20 away) are in Philadelphia to play the No. 7 76ers (45-37, 23-18 at home), at 7:30 p.m. EST, followed by the No. 10 Golden State Warriors (37-45, 15-26 away) in Los Angeles to play the No. 9 Clippers (42-40, 23-18 at home) at 10 p.m. EST.
The Hornets travel to face the loser of tonight’s Magic- 76ers game, on Friday, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the NBA’s Eastern Conference. The winner of 76ers-Magic tonight takes the seventh seed in the East.
The winner of the Hornets game against either the 76ers-Magic on Friday earns the eighth and final seed in the East.
On the Western Conference side, on Friday, the Suns will host the winner of tonight’s Clippers-Warriors game for the conference’s eighth playoff seed.
The NBA playoffs start up Saturday.
BEST BETS
Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers, 7:30 p.m. EST, Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
At Betway this morning, the 76ers are -125 favourites in the NBA betting on the Moneyline, the Magic +105. Against the Spread: 76ers -1.5 (-115), Magic +1.5 (-105). Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (Over is -110, Under is -110).
I am taking the slight underdog in this one, at +105, despite a raucous Philly home court. The 76ers’ Joel Embiid is out, after having undergone an emergency appendectomy last week, his return to the lineup unknown.
Embiid, 7-foot-2, is one of the most talented, dominant big men in the modern era, but health issues have chased him. The appendicitis thing is just brutal luck.
Still, led by guard Tyrese Maxey, their leading scorer, and impressive rookie V.J. Edgecombe, Betway has the 76ers as 1.5-point favourites. Orlando forwards Paolo Banchero (22.2 PTS, 8.4 REB, 5.2 AST, 45.9 FG%) and Franz Wagner (20.2 PTS, 5.2 REB, 3.3 AST, 48.1 FG%) are going to attack the rim, against back-up centres Andre Drummond and Adem Bona, with Embiid out, and that will be the difference-maker.
Philadelphia forward Trendon Watford (illness) is probable for tonight. On the Magic side, no injuries to report.
Golden State Warriors at Los Angeles Clippers, 10 p.m. EST, Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA
At Betway this morning, the Clippers are -210 favourites on the Moneyline, the Warriors +175. Against the Spread: Clippers -5.5 (-110), Warriors +5.5 (-110). Over/Under (O/U): 221.5 (Over is -110, Under is -110).
If I’m going underdog in Magic-76ers, I am going favourite in Warriors-Clippers. Stephen Curry and Kawhi Leonard is the storyline, with a superstar toe-to-toe, but so is the state of health for both teams. The Warriors long ago lost key players Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to long-term injuries. Curry has been battling knee problems, but he’ll show up in a do-or-die game (I’m even leaning a little on Betway’s Curry 6+ 3-Pointers prop, at +260).
The Clippers won three of the four regular season meetings between the two teams. Leonard played 65 games for the Clippers this year – not bad for a guy with a long career full of health issues – leading the team in scoring, at 27.9 PPG, field goal percentage of 50.5%.
Plus, the Clippers rallied after a 6-21 start to their season.
Both teams made substantial mid-season trades. The Warriors brought in Kristaps Porzingis, adding shooting savvy and size to the centre position (and championship experience, having been part of the 2024 Boston Celtics trophy-winning team), while the Clippers traded James Harden to Cleveland for PG Darius Garland. He’s played well – 19.9 PTS, 5.2 REB, 6.4 AST, 48.1 FG%, in 19 games that he has played for them.
