76ers take down Bucks in Game 82, will hold 7 seed in Play-In Tournament vs. Magic Wednesday night

The stakes were known going into Game 82. If the Sixers were able to take down the Bucks and get some help from Toronto and Orlando, they would book a ticket to the NBA playoffs without worrying about the Play-In tournament.

The 76ers did their part, taking down Milwaukee 126-106, but with a Raptors win and Orlando loss, the Sixers will be holding on to the 7 seed and be hosting a Play-In game against the Magic at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The game will be on Amazon Prime.

While it may be disappointing to Philly fans not being able to avoid the Play-In, Philadelphia looked fantastic from a depth perspective on Sunday night.

The Sixers got all 15 of their players on the roster into the game on Sunday, with all but 2 getting in the scoring column. Tyrese Maxey led the way with 21 points, and Quentin Grimes was right behind him with 20 off the bench. Justin Edwards added 17 off the bench as well, and Andre Drummond also made a decent impact in scoring with 12 points. Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. both finished with 11.

The collective effort in scoring from Philadelphia is an important factor that cannot be overlooked going into the Play-In. With Joel Embiid being out for the Play-In and likely far beyond that with his appendectomy, Philly needs to find a way to fill that hole. The bench coming in big with scoring is huge in making up for Embiid’s point contributions.

To go along with the collective scoring efforts, another important factor going into the Play-In with Embiid being out is the addition of Drummond. To add to his 12 points (6 of which came from beyond the arc), Drummond hauled in a game-high 13 boards. Drummond was able to put up this stat line in 23 minutes off the bench — possibly meaning he could get a bigger role against Orlando.

All season long, third quarters have been lackluster for the Sixers. Winning the third by 22 points in the final game of the season is an excellent way to positively turn that narrative around going into the postseason. Philly completely smothered the Bucks, allowing just 16 points while putting up 38 in the period. Defensive efforts like this, while also being dominant on offense, are a tremendous way to gain momentum at the right time.

The Sixers are heading into the Play-In on a two-game win streak and a commanding win against Milwaukee.

Orlando will have a tough task ahead. The Embiid-less Sixers had been able to operate earlier this season, with Maxey leading the way. Maxey has been in this position before and can handle himself and the team under this pressure. The Magic, on the other hand, have fallen off quite a bit from the spot they were in earlier this year. Orlando used to be competing for one of the top seeds in the East, but has fallen all the way to the 8 seed. Paolo Banchero was looking to be an MVP candidate this season, but could not even make the All-Star game. Much of the Orlando roster has struggled to mesh and play well together, combining for an unfortunate mixture when it comes to playoff basketball.

But even if Philly is unable to get past Orlando, they will have another chance. The loser of the Sixers-Magic game will play the winner of the Heat-Hornets game, with the winner of that game moving on to play the 1-seeded Pistons. The task at hand stays the same for the Sixers, however. If the Sixers can come out on top, a ticket to Boston will be booked with the longtime rivalry being restored for another season in the playoffs.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: