Basket

Philadelphia defeated Orlando in the play-in and will therefore be Boston’s opponent in the first round of the playoffs. Out West, Golden State emerged victorious against the Clippers. The Warriors will now face Phoenix for a spot in the playoffs, while the Clippers are now on vacation.

So it will be Boston vs. Philadelphia in the first round of the playoffs! The Celtics (2nd in the regular season) knew they would face the winner of the play-in between Philadelphia (7th) and Orlando (8th). And it was the 76ers who came out on top with a score of 109-97. Despite missing Joel Embiid, who underwent appendix surgery last week, the Pennsylvania team, in front of their 19,746 fans, played well in this game. The Magic, where Frenchman Noah Penda did not play a single second, led several times until the beginning of the third quarter, but never by more than three points. The 76ers then took a ten-point lead in the middle of the third quarter, before seeing their opponents come back to -1 with eight minutes left (87-86). Nick Nurse’s men finished strong with a 22-11 run. Tyrese Maxey held his ground as the leader, scoring 31 points, while rookie VJ Edgecombe was not impressive, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. On the other side, Desmond Bane carried the Magic (34 pts), unlike a disappointing Paolo Banchero (7/22 shooting including 0/5 from 3-pt range). But Orlando’s season is not over yet, as the Florida franchise will host Charlotte on Friday in the play-in. The winner of that match will challenge Detroit, the top team in the Eastern Conference, in the first round of the playoffs, while the loser will be heading home.

The Clippers Collapse

Speaking of heading home, some of the Clippers players may be doing just that after their season ended on Wednesday in front of their 17,927 fans at the Intuit Dome. Golden State indeed came out on top against their California neighbors with a score of 121-126. A small robbery by the Warriors, who trailed for almost the entire match. The Clippers, where Nicolas Batum did not play a single second, had a lead of ten points on several occasions, and even thirteen points (98-85) with ten minutes to go. But they completely collapsed. Golden State tied the game at 117-117 with 1’51 remaining and then went on a 7-0 run to secure the win. At 38 years old, Stephen Curry was exceptional once again, scoring 35 points in 36 minutes (27 in the second half). Gui Santos and Kristaps Porzingis each added 20 points. Golden State now earns the right to face Phoenix, in a game where the winner will face Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs. As for Kawhi Leonard’s Clippers (21 pts) and Benedict Mathurin (23 pts), it’s the end of a tumultuous season. The Californians started off terribly, before finishing strong, all without James Harden, who was traded to Cleveland. While the Clippers seemed like a team to avoid in the playoffs, they have been eliminated.