The 76ers (40-30) and Magic (21-50) have had two very different seasons. Philadelphia is going to comfortably make the playoffs for the first time since 2012, while Orlando is in the process of pushing the reset button on a failed rebuild.
The Magic have lost seven of their last eight while the 76ers come in with a four-game winning streak, but will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
How to watch 76ers vs. Magic
- Date: Thursday, March 22
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Where: Amway Center in Orlando, Florida
- TV: NBA
- Streaming: fuboTV (try it for free)
- Follow: GameTracker
Odds and analysis
Odds: Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Analysis: The 76ers are playing for playoff seeding. With the bottom half of the East unable to get out of its own way, Philly has very little chance of missing out on the postseason. In fact, it could even raise its seed and claim home-court advantage in the first round. The 76ers are tied with Indiana for the fourth spot and only 1.5 games back of the three seed.
The Magic, meanwhile, have been losing since November. It's been a long time since their 8-4 start, and at this point they're playing to develop the youth they have on their roster more than win basketball games. The Magic just want the season to end and the 76ers will help them reach that goal that much sooner.
This is no contest. The 76ers should be able to handle this one easily. The Magic are capable of pulling out the occasional win at home, especially against a team that's not on rest, but all the evidence of this season points to an easy win for Philadelphia.
