Sixers aim to lock up No. 1 seed against Orlando Magic
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Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia 76ers are going to have wait a little longer to secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference. They lost to the Miami Heat, 106-94, on Thursday night, struggling in a variety of ways. Of course, some of their underwhelming effort can probably be attributed to the fact that they can wait to win one of two games against the Orlando Magic to lock up the No. 1 seed. There was also no reason for the Sixers to reveal any tactical advantages (such as having Ben Simmons guard Jimmy Butler) against a potential playoff opponent. But even still, some of Philly’s flaws were on display.
ORLANDO Inspired by a post-practice speech from veteran swingman Gary Harris, the Orlando Magic showed much better focus and purpose of play in their last outing, a hard-fought effort against the Milwaukee Bucks. Now, the Magic will look to carry that same intensity when they go to visit the Atlanta Hawks, who recently clinched a playoff berth, at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Photo by Alex Menendez/Getty Images
With a come-from-behind win on Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks officially clinched a playoff berth for the first time since the 2016-17 season. As such, there was a hint of celebration following the victory over the Washington Wizards, but all parties involved also pointed to more work to come. On Thursday, the Hawks return to action against the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back, and Atlanta has plenty at stake.
The Hawks can clinch the Southeast Division title on Thursday with a win over Orlando and a loss by the Miami Heat against the Philadelphia 76ers. While the second part of that is out of Atlanta’s control, the Hawks can ensure a top-five seed by topping both the Magic and the Houston Rockets on Sunday, and avoiding a matchup against one of the top three teams in the Eastern Conference is appetizing.
The Lead
Extremely disappointed in their lack of effort and execution in Sunday’s home finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Orlando Magic put in some extra work on the practice court ahead of their season-concluding four-game road trip. That practice session appeared to make a big difference, as the Magic hung tough with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks before falling 114-102 on Tuesday.
Key Stretch
Wendell Carter Jr., back after missing the last three games with a left eye abrasion, made a driving layup with 6:43 remaining in the fourth quarter to cut Milwaukee’s lead to seven. The Bucks, subsequently, scored seven straight points to reclaim momentum. Jrue Holiday hit a 3-pointer and made a pair of free throws during that stretch.
Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee into matchup with Orlando
By The Associated PressMay 11, 2021 GMT
Orlando Magic (21-47, 13th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (43-25, third in the Eastern Conference)
Milwaukee; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee into a matchup with Orlando. He’s fifth in the league scoring 28.2 points per game.
The Bucks have gone 27-11 against Eastern Conference teams. Milwaukee is 42-22 in games when scoring at least 100 points.
The Magic are 13-25 in Eastern Conference play. Orlando ranks eighth in the league with 45.3 rebounds per game. Wendell Carter Jr. leads the Magic with 8.4.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Bucks won 124-87 in the last matchup on April 11. Khris Middleton led Milwaukee with 21 points, and Mo Bamba led Orlando with 21 points.