The Philadelphia 76ers clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference with a landslide victory over the Orlando Magic on Friday night.
Stars of the Game
Seth Curry scored a team-high 20 points for Philadelphia on 7-of-9 shooting. In limited minutes, Joel Embiid added 13 points and 11 rebounds. Ben Simmons also had 13 points, nine assists and no turnovers in 26 minutes.
Orlando has had their struggles this season, but there were a couple of bright spots on Friday night. Ignas Brazdeikis scored a career-high 21 points while adding six rebounds, two blocks and an assist in 32 minutes off the bench. Brazdeikis, the second-year forward, has dropped double-digit points in three of seven games since taking on a significant role in the Orlando rotation, averaging 11.4 points, 4.7 boards, 1.7 assists and 1.3 threes in 28.4 minutes over that stretch.
R.J. Hampton also performed well, scoring 12 points while adding 11 rebounds and nine assists in 30 minutes off the bench. The rookie guard has scored in double digits in nine straight games, averaging 15.4 points, 6.8 boards, 5.1 assists and 1.2 threes over that stretch.
Notes
- Philadelphia is the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2001, the year of its last NBA Finals appearance.
- With Dwight Howard suspended for a game after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season Thursday, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers needed to adjust. Mike Scott checked in as the Sixers’ backup center late in the first period and played in a small-ball, all-bench lineup alongside Tyrese Maxey, George Hill, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz.
- As a team, Orlando made six of its first seven three-pointers.
What’s Next?
Orlando’s last game of the season comes against these same Philadelphia 76ers. With things locked up for Philly, we could very well see them rest their players for the final game of the season. Can that translate to a Magic win?