Paolo Banchero and the Magic are facing Tyrese Maxey and the 76ers to open our SoFi Play-In Tournament on Prime.
- Play-In Tournament Home
- Last night’s live blog: Hornets advance, Trail Blazers earn the seven seed
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What we know about Wednesday’s games:
- The SoFi Play-In Tournament continues tonight with Magic-76ers (7:30 ET) and Warriors-Clippers (10 ET).
- Both games are on Prime.
APRIL 15 / 8:10 ET
Sixers up after one
28-24. Paolo Banchero (8 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast) leads all scorers, but the Sixers knocked down four 3-pointers to two for Orlando to earn a slim lead.
Kelly Oubre Jr. sinks his 3rd three 🔥
Sixers lead by 4 after 1Q in the @SoFi Play-In! pic.twitter.com/VJiYATWFAy
— NBA (@NBA) April 16, 2026
APRIL 15 / 7:45 ET
Orlando and Philly scrapping early
The Magic are hot early, knocking down five of their first eight shots (62.5%), but Philly’s battled.
Kelly Oubre Jr. and Paolo Banchero drew offsetting technicals after Oubre Jr. knocked down Franz Wagner on a screen — a little classic Eastern Conference physicality to start off the night.
14-12 Orlando with 6:40 to go in the first quarter.
APRIL 15 / 6:45 ET
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APRIL 15 / 6:30 ET
Tale of the tape: Magic-76ers
Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers take on Paolo Banchero and the Orlando Magic in the opening half of tonight’s SoFi Play-In Doubleheader on Prime.
Orlando Magic: ORTG: 114.9 (19th) DRTG: 114.3 (11th) Net Rating: +0.6 (17th)
The Magic need Jalen Suggs. With him in the lineup, they’re 34-23 this season — without him, they’re 11-14. Suggs provides playmaking, toughness, athleticism, quick perimeter defense, hustle and timely 3-point shooting, all of which can be in short supply in Orlando. He’s in the lineup tonight.
Beyond Suggs, the Magic need the duo of Paolo Banchero (22.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Franz Wagner (20.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg) to give the Sixers’ wings problems. Can Paul George stay in front of one of them? Will Kelly Oubre Jr. or Quentin Grimes be able to handle the other? Does Justin Edwards or Dominic Barlow end up with the assignment? The Magic’s stars have overlapping skills, but they’re both adept at putting pressure on the rim. It’ll be huge if they can get in the lane.
Orlando’s made the Playoffs in each of the last two seasons, falling to the Cavaliers in seven games in 2024 and the Celtics in five in 2025. This squad is still young, but they have experience. Will they have hunger tonight?
Philadelphia 76ers: ORTG: 115.4 (17th) DRTG: 115.5 (16th) Net Rating: -0.2 (18th)
The 76ers still don’t have their best lineup, with Joel Embiid (emergency appendectomy) missing tonight’s game. But they have a deep, talented squad. Tyrese Maxey (28.3 ppg, 6.6 apg) has grown into a top-notch scorer this season — he’ll need to be able to force the Magic’s stalwart defense into rotation tonight, along with VJ Edgecombe (16.0 ppg, 5.6 reb).
This is a game for Paul George (21.3 ppg since returning from suspension March 25). Can the nine-time NBA All-Star find his best game tonight and outplay Banchero or Wagner? He has the size and skill to go toe-to-toe, world-class experience and the opportunity to create a lasting memory for Philly fans.
The Sixers will also need Andre Drummond and Adem Bona to step up in Embiid’s absence. Drummond’s had a varied, interesting career, ending the regular season at 28th on the all-time rebounding list with 11,513 boards. Will Wendell Carter Jr. and Goga Bitadze out-battle him?
APRIL 15 / 6:00 ET
Welcome to night two of the SoFi Play-In Tournament!
Stephen Curry and the Warriors face Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers in the nightcap of tonight’s SoFi Play-In Tournament doubleheader.
It’s the second night of the SoFi Play-In Tournament! After the Hornets advanced and the Trail Blazers earned the seven seed in the Western Conference, we’ve got two more games for you tonight on Prime.
NBA.com’s Steve Aschburner has more for you about tonight’s contests.
