Philadelphia 76ers vs Orlando Magic Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 11/04/2024, 22:28  by Joseph King | Modified on 11/04/2024 at 22:28 in NBA Predictions

A big matchup in the NBA’s Eastern Conference on Friday evening sees the seventh-place Philadelphia 76ers hosting the fifth-placed Orlando Magic. Philadelphia is red-hot since the return of reigning MVP Joel Embiid as they look to make a late charge up the standings. The Magic will attempt to hold them off as they try to maintain their fifth seed with only two games remaining in the regular season. With only 2.5 games separating third-place from seventh-place, there are sure to be a few twists and turns in the seedings in these last few games.

The 76ers come into this matchup with a 45-35 record, which sees them trailing the sixth-place Pacers and the fifth-placed Magic by just a single game. Philly is chasing an automatic qualification spot with a top-six finish which would mean not having to deal with the play-in tournament. The Sixers cruised to a 120-102 home win over the Detroit Pistons when the two teams faced off on Tuesday. Joel Embiid put in another virtuoso performance as he continues to dominate this season with some absurd numbers. With the Nets at home after this, Philadelphia will be confident of adding another two victories to their current streak.

The Magic risk dropping into the play-in tournament if they are unable to turn their form around in the last two games. It would be unfortunate given what an incredible year this team is having after finishing last season in 13th-place. Orlando faces a tough task in their last two games with the 76ers away from home and the second-place Bucks at the Kia Center to close out the regular season. Orlando were held to under 100 points for the third time in the last nine games after losing 117-99 vs the Bucks on Wednesday. Scoring has been a problem for the Magic all season as they rank 25th in average points per game (110.4). The defeat was their second in a row and the third in their last four games as their record drops to 46-34 on the season.