Sixers vs Magic Staff Predictions: Who Gets the Seventh Seed in the East Playoffs?

For the first time since 2024, the Sixers will play a postseason game on Wednesday night. They will host the Orlando Magic in a Play-In game. The winner earns the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and a first-round date with the Boston Celtics. The loser plays on Friday in a win-or-go-home game against the winner of Tuesday's game between the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat.

Will the Sixers earn a matchup with the Boston Celtics, or will their season be pushed to the ropes with another Play-In game required?

Here are predictions from Sixers On SI.

Jacob Moreno

The Sixers’ postseason hopes are the dullest since the 2019-20 season, but they can at least secure the seventh seed. Even sans Joel Embiid. Orlando’s biggest offensive weakness plays into Philadelphia’s most notable defensive strength. The Magic rank 27th league-wide in 3-point percentage at 34.3%, enticing the Sixers to double down on their defensive identity.

Philadelphia’s defense is built on jumping passing lanes and help defense to force turnovers, but they often leave opposing shooters unguarded. The Sixers have sometimes executed this to their detriment, but Orlando may not be the team to exploit it. Philadelphia should not ignore shooters on every possession, as Desmond Bane and Anthony Black can make them pay. It is about finding a balance.

The Sixers went 21-23 in games without Embiid this year and scoring will undoubtedly be hard to find. Tyrese Maxey returning to form will be crucial to Philadelphia generating offense and he has trended upward, eclipsing 20 points in each of his last three games. If Maxey can pace the Sixers and Philadelphia finds defensive consistency, they will defeat Orlando 109-102.

Bryan Toporek

The Magic are fresh off arguably the most horrifying loss that any team suffered this year, while the Sixers are going into this game without their star center. This might be the saddest No. 7 vs. No. 8 matchup in Play-In Tournament history.

With that said, the Magic should be entering this game at relatively full strength. Black (abdominal) and Franz Wagner (ankle) recently returned from their respective injuries, although it's unclear if either player will be on a minutes limit.

This will be only the 18th game all season that the Magic have their preferred starting five of Jalen Suggs, Bane, Wagner, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr. all available, so it's not as though the Sixers are running into a well-oiled machine here. But with Embiid sidelined and Tyrese Maxey (pinky) still not looking quite like himself, the Sixers are also limping into this matchup.

That loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday should have been a wake-up call for the Magic. Expect a focused Magic squad to come into Philly and quiet the home crowd early. Magic win, 108-99.

Austin Krell

Unlike my perpetually sad pal, Bryan, I do not think there's much that can wake this Magic team up. Except maybe a magic spell. They've been miserable for months. Miserable teams tend to want their seasons to end, unless they're so well oiled that they can overcome the bad energy. The Magic are not and have never been that, and a date with the Boston Celtics being the prize for winning this game shouldn't do much to inspire them.

But, I have my concerns. Is Maxey's ailing pinky going to restrict him from what will need to be a masterful offensive night? Do the Sixers have the size and physicality to contend with Orlando's style of play? Will the lack of experience bridging the core starters of Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre and Paul George to either of the Sixers' traditional center options hurt in a playoff-level game?

Nothing would surprise me. But without Embiid, you just never know which version of the Sixers you're going to get. And Nick Nurse is going to have to rely on a number of players who have precisely no postseason experience at all. 114-109, Magic.

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