Sixers pull away from Bucks in regular-season finale; will host Magic in NBA Play-In Tournament

The 76ers beat the Bucks 126-106 in the final game of the regular season, setting the stage for the NBA Play-In Tournament matchup against the Orlando Magic.

With the Magic’s loss to the Boston Celtics, the Sixers officially earned the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, and will host that Play-In game on Wednesday.

Here’s what we learned from the regular-season finale:

The Sixers got a big lift from their bench on Sunday, especially from Andre Drummond and Justin Edwards. The bench scored 32 points in the first half, more than half of the Sixers’ total points through two quarters.

Drummond scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double. Edwards, who’d fallen out of the healthy rotation, got another big opportunity and went 5-for-6 from three for 17 points. Quentin Grimes added 20 points, and went 4-for-6 on three-pointers.

Nurse said pregame that the best version of Edwards right now is someone who’s a useful piece off the bench, and at least for now, he’s worked his way back into the rotation.

“[We need him] to go in there and guard, go in there and help rebound, make a shot,” Nurse said. “If they run you off the line, take it to the right place. Don’t be afraid to put the ball down there, and the ball again seems to find him.”

The Sixers ended the game with 68 points from their bench on a quiet scoring night from Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, and VJ Edgecombe.

With playoff seeding on the line, against a Bucks squad led by AJ Green and Cormac Ryan, the Sixers still found themselves down 62-58 at the half.

In 2025-26, the Sixers have mustered just an 18-33 record against teams over .500, struggling for much of the year to find continuity and stay healthy long enough to beat top squads. Outside of the March 28 win over Charlotte, the Sixers’ wins over the last two months have overwhelmingly come against tanking teams, and they haven’t looked very impressive.

That uninspiring first half was followed by maybe the Sixers’ strongest third quarter of the season. Tyrese Maxey finally got rolling, scoring 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting, leading a 38-16 run that put the Bucks away for good.

“It’s a difficult game to play, and I don’t think we came out with a lot of life,” Nurse said. “I think we wanted it to be easier than it was going to be, it’s always the case in this league. I think [Maxey] came out and turned up his work rate and his aggressiveness in the second half, and played more like himself.”

Edgecombe didn’t score many points of his own against Milwaukee on Sunday, but he continues to develop as a playmaker and a point guard. He had 11 assists and just one turnover. He led the team at plus-31 on the night.

In Washington, Edgecombe joked that he was the new “PG1,” taking some of the load off of Maxey. Before Sunday’s game, Nick Nurse pointed to Edgecombe’s growth as a point guard as one of the big highlights of his year.

“I try not to make the home run play, to just make the right play every possession,“ Edgecombe said. ”Shout out my teammates for making shots. When I pass the ball, I just try to pass it right in the pocket, or just give them a good lead so they can finish, or just create an advantage for someone else."