Magic secure postseason spot, but East playoff seeds still up for grabs
· Yahoo Sports
TORONTO — When the NBA regular season ends two weeks from Sunday, the Magic will be in the postseason for a third consecutive year.
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That’s because on Saturday, Orlando clinched its postseason spot when the Bucks lost their 44th game of the season, mathematically eliminating Milwaukee from a top 10 seed and ending its nine-year playoff streak.
Whether the Magic are able to climb in the Eastern Conference standings to finish in the top six and secure a guaranteed playoff spot or have to battle their way to the playoffs via the Play-In Tournament remains to be seen, but the team knows there’s more basketball to be played after Game 82 on April 12.
The Play-In Tournament, which is when seeds 7-10 in each conference compete for the Nos. 7 and 8 seeds in the playoffs, takes place April 14-17, and the playoffs begin April 18.
Before then, however, there’s plenty left that still needs to be sorted out in the East.
To show just how tight the playoff race in the conference is, consider this: Only 2 1/2 games separated seeds 5-10 entering Sunday’s slate of games.
And perhaps just as important as the Magic clinching their postseason spot this weekend has been the recent play of Paolo Banchero, who’s shown in the past he’s capable of peaking late in the season.
Ahead of Sunday’s game between Orlando and Toronto at Scotiabank Arena, the Magic forward had averaged 26.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 5.8 assists during 36.3 minutes per night across the first 20 games following the All-Star break.
He and NBA MVP candidate Nikola Jokic (Denver) are the only two players in the league averaging 26-plus points, eight-plus rebounds and five-plus assists per game since the league break, according to NBA.com.
“I think I’ve just been playing to the level I’m capable of, since the All-Star break,” Banchero said recently after scoring 30-or-more points in three consecutive games. “(I’m) just being aggressive and imposing my will on the game each and every night, whatever that looks like.”
His teammates gave him more credit than he gave himself.
“Paolo’s been playing great for a while now,” Magic guard Desmond Bane said. “He’s been carrying us, doing it defensively. What he’s doing for the team isn’t going unnoticed, but we’re all eager to get better and play better basketball.”
After returning from Toronto, the Magic face a challenging back-to-back that starts Tuesday at Kia Center against the Suns. The next night, Orlando hosts Atlanta in another matchup with postseason implications.
Osceola secures top seedFor the third season in a row, the Osceola Magic have earned the No. 1 seed throughout the G League Playoffs following Saturday’s win over the Motor City Cruise at Wayne State Fieldhouse.
Orlando’s G League affiliate joins the Stockton Kings (2022-25) as the only teams in G League history to finish three consecutive seasons as the top seed in their conference.
Earning the top seed means that if Osceola advances throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs, all games would be played at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee. Osceola lost last year’s G League championship at home to Stockton.
This year’s playoff journey starts Wednesday when Osceola hosts the Long Island Nets at 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video. Tickets and information for all potential playoff games can be found at OsceolaMagic.com/playoffs.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next …
Magic vs. Suns
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday, Kia Center
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida