Basketball
ORLANDO, Fla. –– The Orlando Magic will officially play postseason basketball in 2025.
By virtue of the Magic’s dominating victory over the Sacramento Kings Saturday night, Orlando has clinched a top-10 seed in the Eastern Conference. Orlando now knows that, at the very least, it will play in the Play-In Tournament once the regular season finishes.
But, with seven games left in the regular season and plenty to still be determined seeding-wise, the Magic aren’t caught up in any sort of celebration.
“We’re not done, and that’s what we have to continue to focus on,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said after Saturday’s result. “One game at a time.”
“We’ve got the Clippers coming in here, our focus needs to be on [them] now and understand exactly what we need to do for that game at home.
However, after a season filled with plenty of ups and downs, the Magic have security that they won’t be done playing after all 82 regular season games have concluded.
“That’s what you work for all season,” said Paolo Banchero, who scored 24 points to lead the Magic in victory Saturday. “We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries and stuff throughout the year, so just the fact that we’re going to be in the postseason, no one is taking it for granted.
“I think everyone’s excited and just want to finish these last seven games out strong and put ourselves in the best position heading into the postseason.”
The Magic, now 36-39, currently occupy the No. 7 seed in the East. It’s the first time since March 5 that Orlando has been ahead of Atlanta.
The Hawks, who are 35-38 and No. 8 in the East, currently have two games in hand. Bu, they are currently behind Orlando due to the Magic having a slightly better winning percentage.
“There’s seven games left – we’ve really got to win them all,” said Goga Bitadze, who recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double Saturday. “It’s a close battle. We might even make it out of the Play-in. Our job is to prepare for the playoffs, and we know we have to win the games and get there, but we know we’re a playoff team.
“All we try to do is just win the games. The mindset doesn’t really change for us.”
Orlando trails Milwaukee, who currently holds the sixth and final guaranteed playoff spot, by five games.
According to playoffstatus.com, the Magic have a 43 percent chance to secure the No. 7 seed and 35 percent shot at the No. 8 seed. While not mathematically impossible to get as high as the 4-seed, the Orlando has a less than 1 percent chance to do so, the site says.
Two matchups remain between the Magic and Hawks this season – April 8 in Orlando and the regular season finale on April 13 in Atlanta. They figure to be vital toward determining seeding and crowning a Southeast division champion.
If the Magic and Hawks finish the regular season with the same record and are 2-2 versus one another, each team’s record versus the Southeast division is the first tiebreaker used to determine seeding.
Seeds No. 7 through 10 in each conference compete for the final two first-round playoff spots through the Play-In Tournament.
No. 7 hosts No. 8, with the winner facing the No. 2 seed in the first round of the playoffs, and the loser playing the No. 9-No. 10 matchup’s winner. The winner of the No.7/8 loser and No.9/10 winner gets the top seed in the conference for their first-round playoff series.
For the latest on the current East Play-In picture, click here.
The Magic will appear in the postseason for the second consecutive season after earning the five-seed last year, snapping a four-year drought from the playoffs. But, earning a playoff series for a second straight season will likely have to come through the Play-In Tournament.
If that becomes the case, it would be Orlando’s first appearance in the Play-In since the current format was introduced during the 2020-21 season.
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