76ers updates: Playoff scenarios, predictions, and odds; play-in game vs. Magic won't be on TV

If the 76ers fail to defeat the Orlando Magic in their first Play-In Tournament game, they will have one final shot to win and enter the NBA playoffs.

The Charlotte Hornets, the winner of the matchup between the East's No. 9 and 10 seeds, will be waiting there. But there's a chance they could be without one of their stars.

LaMelo Ball might is in jeopardy of missing the game as the NBA reviews him for taking out the ankle of Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who had to go to the locker room and did not return.

The NBA announced officials for tonight's NBA Play-In Tournament game between the Sixers and Magic.

The list includes crew chief Tony Brothers, referee Tyler Ford, umpire Andy Nagy, and alternate Jason Goldenberg.

Most of the names are pretty benign, but Bothers, a 32-year veteran, drew a bit of attention from reporters and fans. Some even suggested that his participation in the game guaranteed a loss for the Sixers. The team is 0-2 in games officiated by Brothers this season, but is nearly .500 (65-67) over his career.

With Joel Embiid still sidelined following his appendectomy, second-year big man Adem Bona is in line for significant minutes in his postseason debut.

Bona and veteran Andre Drummond have both started games, come off the bench, and slipped completely out of the rotation at times this season. That occurred even in the Sixers’ regular-season finale against the "tanking" Milwaukee Bucks, when Bona started the game but Drummond began the second half.

“I’ve been zeroing in on the opportunity that I have in front of me,” Bona said following Wednesday’s shootaround. “… With Joel being out, it’s a next-man-[up] mentality. We’re going to try to fill the void he’s left as much as possible.”

It’s not often that a 25-game suspension actually heightens a player’s popularity with fans.

Initially, the news of Paul George’s suspension for taking “improper medication” was met with derision by 76ers faithful, especially after injuries sidelined the star forward for much of 2024-25 and led to one of the worst seasons of his stellar career.

When he returned to the lineup against the Chicago Bulls on March 25, George missed eight of his first 10 shots and entered the locker room at halftime with just five points. But he went on a tear in the second half, earning massive cheers from the crowd after hitting three consecutive shots.

As far as postseason math goes, the No. 7 seed Sixers' path to the NBA playoffs is simple – win tonight against the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic and they're in.

Here are the different scenarios the Sixers face heading into tonight's play-in game:

If the Sixers win tonight, they would advance to the playoffs after a one-year absence and face the No. 2 seed Boston Celtics in the first round. Game 1 would be Sunday at 1 p.m. on ABC.

The 76ers face off against the Orlando Magic Wednesday night with a playoff spot on the line, but fans in Philadelphia or anywhere else won't find the game on television.

Instead, Sixers fans will need to log onto Amazon Prime Video to stream tonight’s play-in game, which is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Hopefully things will go better than last night, where Amazon's stream of the Hornets-Heat play-in game went offline for nearly two minutes in overtime.

It’s the first year of the NBA’s new 11-year broadcast deal, meaning the play-in games move from ESPN to Amazon. On the call will be Michael Grady and Brent Barry, with Kristina Pink reporting from Xfinity Mobile Arena.

With Joel Embiid unavailable and the odds stacked against them, the 76ers will enter these NBA playoffs in a familiar position. How do those on The Inquirer’s Sixers beat expect Tyrese Maxey and Co. to fare? Will they make it out of the Play-In Tournament? Can they steal a series? Could they advance further?

Here's what Gina Mizell, our Sixers beat writer, had to say:

Will the Sixers make it out of the play-in?

Joel Embiid has not been around the 76ers “at all” since his appendectomy last week, coach Nick Nurse said Tuesday.

“He’s still in recovery,” Nurse said following the Sixers’ practice before Wednesday’s NBA Play-In Tournament game against the Orlando Magic. “But spirits are pretty good.”

Embiid was diagnosed with appendicitis Thursday and had surgery later that day in Houston. He was discharged from the hospital and traveled back to Philadelphia on Friday.

LaMelo Ball made a layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, Miles Bridges blocked Davion Mitchell’s attempt at a winning layup at the buzzer, and the Charlotte Hornets beat Miami 127-126 in a wild start to the NBA’s play-in games, eliminating the Heat from the playoffs on Tuesday night.

Ball finished with 30 points and 10 assists and Bridges had 28 points and nine rebounds as the Hornets won their first postseason home game in a decade. Coby White had 19 points, including a turnaround 3 with 10.8 second left in regulation to send the game to OT.

Mitchell scored 28 points and Andrew Wiggins added 27 for the Heat, who lost Bam Adebayo to a lower back injury when Ball tripped him in the second quarter.