Category: Basketball

For the third consecutive year, the Sixers have failed to hit that vaunted 50-win total in the regular season. They have not held home-court advantage in a playoff series since Doc Rivers was here. Joel Embiid is dealing with yet another crushing injury, one in a long line of them that have defined his career. Paul George, raking in a cool $51 million this season, served a 25-game suspension this season that did not help matters at all. Everyone in this fan base wants the head coach and the general manager fired.

I don’t argue with any of that. If anything, I’m more pessimistic and angry about the state of things when it comes to this franchise than most. The roots of this organization’s incompetence are deep seeded. There is no quick fix.

The Sixers will host the Magic in a Play-In game in South Philadelphia this evening. What would a victory over Orlando mean for them? It would put into motion a first-round matchup with the loathsome Celtics, a team that has thoroughly owned the Sixers for the last four decades. It would be a series that I can’t fathom the Sixers winning, particularly with Embiid’s current absence.

Despite all of that, I went on SeatGeek yesterday and bought a ticket for tonight’s game.

Why?

The obvious answer would be saying, “Because you’re a frigging clown.” Sure, that’s true in a vacuum, but there is something more to it.

I want to soak up the crowd at the arena. I pray to the basketball gods that it is rocking and this fan base has some juice. I can be rational and take a 10,000-foot view of things and see that beating the Magic does absolutely nothing to truly move the championship needle for the Sixers, but it could make for an entertaining, memorable time at the Sports Complex regardless. I want to see VJ Edgecombe get his first taste of what a playoff atmosphere will be like. I want to see Tyrese Maxey carry this team to a level I perhaps previously thought impossible. I mean, I just want to have some fun with the Sixers, however fleeting that fun may ultimately be, before they inevitably piss me off again.

I’ve spent (wasted?) so much time and energy on the Sixers in my life through both bad times and worse times. What’s one more night of Lucy ripping the football away as I go to kick it?

Jalen Brunson

It goes without saying, but this team, especially in the postseason, needs Jalen Brunson to be at his best. New York has had games, especially in the first round of the last couple of playoffs, where they have won, even when Brunson has had off nights. But they’ll need him to be great if they want to eliminate the Hawks. Whether it’s his scoring, playmaking, or late-game heroics, Brunson will be relied on heavily as he has been throughout his entire Knicks tenure. With a lot of pundits and Hawks fans doubting the point guard, Brunson will have the opportunity to make a lot of people eat their own words yet again. Expect a big series from the captain, who averaged 29.3 PPG and 7.7 APG against the Hawks during the regular season.

Karl-Anthony Towns

If Brunson dictates the Knicks’ floor, Karl-Anthony Towns very well may dictate their ceiling. While Brunson is unequivocally the best player on the team, and unquestionably the leader, and face of the franchise, Towns is just as, if not more, important. There is a very clear difference in just how good the Knicks can be when Towns is on his game and when he isn’t. In the games where the big man is mentally engaged defensively, aggressive offensively, and locked in on the boards, this team is capable of beating anyone. With how small the Hawks are, Towns can, and should, dominate the series. Atlanta will be throwing defensive stand out Dyson Daniels at Brunson, so Towns may be in for a very big series, especially since the Hawks were the team Towns averaged the most points per game against this season.

Mitchell Robinson

There’s a rather strong case for Mitchell Robinson being the most impactful bench player in the league. He’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the league, and it is something the Knicks have learned to build their offense around. And his ability to be both a rim protector, and one of the few centers who can actually hold his own on the perimeter makes him a unique player. With the aforementioned lack of centers on the Hawks, Robinson could team up with Towns to be the biggest difference makers. Fun fact: in two games against the Hawks this regular season, Robinson averaged 10.5 RPG and had an impressive offensive rating of 177, as well as a solid defensive rating of 97.

Deuce McBride

If Robinson isn’t the most impactful bench player in the league, Deuce McBride has a strong argument to swoop in and take that honor. The backup guard has become one of the most pivotal pieces to the Knicks, thanks in large part to his now deadly outside shot, point-of-attack defense, and willingness to make the connective plays. Regardless of what his counting stats say, McBride is often among the team leaders in plus-minus, spearheading big runs, and closing the game. His shot has looked somewhat inconsistent since returning from his two-month absence, but if he can get close to where he was pre-injury, the Knicks’ bench gets a massive boost.

Josh Hart

I had a tough one deciding between Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges. Before writing this, my gut feeling was to go with Bridges. Then once I sat down, I started to lean towards Hart. But prior to making my final decision, I decided to look at the two players’ splits this season, and something interesting came up. Bridges, despite everyone asking him to be more aggressive, has actually averaged less points per game and has a lower usage rate in their wins than he does in their losses. Now, that doesn’t tell the whole story, and it does not make me want to get off of the “I wish Bridges shot more” bus. But maybe his aggression, or lack thereof, doesn’t have as much of a correlation to how the Knicks play as we all thought.

With Hart, though, it’s pretty clear that it does. The guard averages three more points per game, one more rebound per game, and half an assist more per game in their wins. He also has a higher usage rate and is shooting much better from both the field and three in those games. If the Knicks want to not only win, but make light work of a Hawks team they should definitely beat, Hart, being a willing shooter, and an active player on offense, will go a long way.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The Golden State Warriors have the same interest in the NBA Play-In Tournament as my wife does in my plans to rewatch the “John Wick” movies. 

They’re both on a minutes restriction.

Golden State is taking it easy when it faces the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, with head coach Steve Kerr stating his stars will be limited. 

That keeps oddsmakers on their toes, especially when it comes to player prop markets. And where there’s uncertainty, there's value.

Here are my best NBA picks and prop predictions for Warriors vs. Clippers on April 15.

Best Warriors vs Clippers props

Player	Pick
Draymond Green	Over 5.5 rebounds	-110
Kristaps Porzingis	Under 18.5 points	-105
Darius Garland	Over 2.5 3-pointers	-145

Prop #1: Draymond Green Over 5.5 rebounds

-110 at bet365

Could tonight be Draymond Green’s curtain call? If so, expect Steve Kerr to let Draymond go out on his shield.

The Golden State Warriors’ veteran forward has voiced mixed emotions about the team’s standing and its Play-In positioning but told reporters he’s always going to compete. That’s been true for the “16-Gamer”, who raises his play when the stakes are high. 

Green has career average of 8.6 rebounds in the postseason – versus 6.8 in the regular season – and enters tonight well rested after sitting out the finale (against the L.A. Clippers).

Draymond will be called upon to guard Kawhi Leonard but also get run at center, given the injuries to the Clippers frontcourt. Los Angeles is down to one healthy(ish) center in Brook Lopez and has struggled when going small. 

Draymond’s projections range from 5.01 to 7.1 rebounds but considering the matchups and minutes restrictions for the Dubs' centers Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, Green will have plenty of chances to clean the glass.

Prop #2: Kristaps Porzingis Under 18.5 points

-105 at bet365

Kristaps Porzingis has only played 15 games in a Warriors jersey since being acquired at the trade deadline. With so many pieces in and out of the Golden State rotation, he admitted it’s been tough to find his spot in the offense. 

He finished the regular season averaging just over 16 points as a Warrior, but his usage nosedived when Stephen Curry returned. Porzingis led the team with a 28.8% usage rate in March (18.2 ppg) with that metric sliding to 22.6% in April (12.0 ppg).

It also helped that the Warriors took on some horrible defenses during Porzingis’ uptick in scoring. The 7-footer lit up the likes of Chicago, Washington (twice), Dallas, and Brooklyn – all of which sit bottom 10 in defensive rating since the All-Star break.

Porzingis has yet to play 30 or more minutes for the Dubs and likely won’t breach that bar in the Play-In, given Kerr said he would be on a minutes restriction tonight. Couple that with postseason intensity from the L.A. defense and Porzingis’ point total is a stretch.

Forecasts sit between 16.5 and 17.7 points for “The Unicorn”, who has scored 19 or more points in just five of his 15 games for the Warriors – all coming before Curry returned. 

His point markets for Wednesday ranges from 19.5 (Under -126) to 17.5 (Over -125), so shop around for the best of the number but going Under anything 18.5 or higher looks good.

Prop #3: Darius Garland Over 2.5 3-pointers

-145 at bet365

Clippers guard Darius Garland is expected to go toe-to-toe with Curry in the Play-In, which means also countering his output from beyond the arc. 

Garland is Los Angeles’ most active outside threat, firing up almost eight shots from distance for 3.3 makes per game since coming to the team at the trade deadline.

His output from outside dwindled down the stretch as Garland saw his minutes shrink after an ankle injury and a lingering toe ailment. That also slimmed his 3-point prop totals, dropping those numbers from highs of 3.5 O/U.

While he averaged just 1.6 makes from distance in April, he finished March knocking down almost four triples per outing and hitting at least three in 11 of his first 13 games for the Clips.

Golden State has the fifth worst 3-point defense since the break (37.6%) and most player projections lean toward three hits from long range for Garland, sitting between 2.5 and 3.0 3-pointers.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The Lakers are going into the playoffs with few expectations.

Injuries to Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves leave them in an unenviable position. While they secured the No. 4 seed, they’ll limp into the playoffs as a clear underdog.

Predictably, no one is picking the Lakers to win. On Monday, ESPN’s writers selected winners for each series and not one person picked LA to win.

Shoutout to a handful of writers who think the Lakers are going to take it to Game 7 but lose at home with LeBron James and maybe a returning Luka Dončić and/or Austin Reaves. On the other hand, though, they at least have the Lakers winning some games.

Having said all that, it’s time to revive the #WeBelieve hashtag.

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, the Lakers have just a 32% chance of beating the Rockets. FanDuel’s odds for Saturday’s game list LA at +5.5. CBS Sports had similar expert predictions to ESPN with no one picking the Lakers to advance.

No one believes in the Lakers.

Even if it is just in this moment, it’s going to be a pretty easy rallying cry for head coach JJ Redick. An “us against the world” narrative can work for the first round with Luka and Austin out.

The purple and gold are going to have to figure a lot of things out on the fly. They’re going to have to heavily rely on LeBron James. They’ll need role players to step up in big ways. All of those things are tall asks. But there’s a path and that’s all the Lakers need.

#WeBelieve.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

The Golden State Warriors, ranked 10th in the Western Conference with a 37-45 record, face the LA Clippers, who are ninth in the West with a 42-40 record. The LA Clippers are favored with a -220 moneyline compared to the Golden State Warriors' +180. The winner will advance to face the Suns in the conclusion of the Play-In Tournament on Friday.

How to watch Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Clippers

• Date: Wednesday, April 15

• Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

• Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

• TV Channels: Amazon Prime

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Golden State Warriors: 37-45 (10th in Western Conference)

• Los Angeles Clippers: 42-40 (ninth in Western Conference)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: Los Angeles Clippers -5.5

• Moneyline: Los Angeles Clippers -220 / Golden State Warriors +180

• Over/Under: 221.5

If you flip through Jayson Tatum’s Instagram stories, you’ll notice that he routinely reposts photos from the Instagram page @eyeofbri. For most of the season, the Celtics star shared pictures of himself on the sidelines in his outfits, cheering on his teammates. 

Now that he is back on the court, his posts highlight his on-court play.

The common denominator? Many of those photos are captured by Bri Robinson, one of dozens of NBA player photographers who work as freelancers to chronicle the lives of NBA players.

She’s one of just a few women in the space. She’s also one of the most elite. 

And, serving as Neemias Queta’s personal photographer, Robinson attends every home Celtics game and various off-court events, while also sometimes hitting the road. 

While at TD Garden, Robinson also takes photos of other players, from the team’s superstars to its two-way players. 

It all started in 2023, when Robinson attended a Celtics game as a fan, with her camera, and snapped photos of the players all night. After she finished editing the pictures, she messaged her favorite ones to each player on the roster on Instagram.

“The only person who got back to me was Oshae Brissett,” Robinson recalls. “I was like, ‘Hey –  if you’re looking for a shooter, I’m here.’ And he was like, ‘Okay, bet. Like, let’s get together.’ He loved the images that I sent him.”

So, Robinson became Brissett’s personal photographer during the 2024 championship season. It wasn’t a financially lucrative gig, but it did mean that she was credentialed to attend and photograph every home Celtics game. It also meant she was able to chronicle the Celtics’ 18th championship.

Brissett didn’t get much playing time during that playoff run, so Robinson made sure to arrive early to take photos of his tunnel fits and pregame workouts. And, when game play began, even if Brissett didn’t see the floor, she’d photograph the other players, slowly building her portfolio. 

After Brissett left the Celtics in 2024, Robinson had to find another player on the roster who’d be willing to help credential her. So, she became Queta’s personal photographer. 

Over the past two years, she’s chronicled the come-up of one of the NBA’s top centers. 

Falling in love with photography

Bri Robinson first picked up the camera in college, at age 20. And, she recalls, it immediately felt instinctive. 

A few years into her photography obsession, she learned that a prowess for photography was in her bloodline. 

“There’s this thing called the Shutter Bug gene,” she said. “My mom’s biological uncle, who actually took her in as a kid, like her dad, was a photographer. He was a portrait photographer, but I had no idea until two years into photographing that he was a professional photographer. And so my mom pulled out images of her when she was younger, of her just being a test dummy for him. And the photos were super dope. They were portraits – her sitting with her cat, just stuff that I would do. And I had no idea.” 

That moment affirmed she was on the right path – and that she was destined to be a photographer. 

“I was always a creative person, but when she told me that, I was like, No way. Am I living through my family member? Are they living through me?”

Robinson’s photography style is unique. 

“My style is more portrait style,” she said. “I love emotionally-invoking images – that’s what I love. I love to see after a dunk — the emotions. I love up close photos. I love raw, emotional photos, and I hope that’s what people are seeing.” 

Robinson is one of the only female player photographers in the league. That comes with its own set of challenges; she never wants people to question her relationship with or intentions toward players, and at first, she worried people would think she only got into this space to hang out with NBA players. 

“When I first started, I thought a lot about what people thought. Like, is she here for the right reasons?” she admitted. “But as I grew in this space, I just say, like, ‘Fuck it. Like, who cares [what people think?’ My work is good, and if guys hire me because my work is good, then so be it.”

Nowadays, Robinson gets paid per gig. And, over the past few years, the gigs have been piling up. She’s travelled to Paris to photograph Indiana Pacers forward Obi Toppin’s engagement. She’s photographed Jaylen Brown’s Bridge camp and taken pictures for Derrick White’s family. She’s worked closely with a variety of former Celtics, like Torrey Craig, Jrue Holiday, and Xavier Tillman. She photographed a Pilates event hosted by the wife of Maine Celtics head coach Phil Pressey, Elizabeth. The list goes on and on. 

Family photoshoots have become one of her biggest strengths; Derrick White’s wife, Hannah, for example, commissioned her to photograph one of their kid’s birthday parties. 

“Hannah reached out to me and was like, ‘Hey, last minute, it’s my son’s birthday. I forgot to hire someone. Can you do it?’” Robinson said. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ That was exciting for me, because I never worked with Derrick White and his family outside of the arena.”

She never intended to become a basketball photographer, but given her love for capturing emotions, it suddenly made perfect sense. 

“You get to see the person truly in their element,” Robinson said. “That’s what I love to see. People can shoot, people can pull a trigger on the camera, anyone can do that, but if you can invoke an emotion and get that person’s actual, true feelings, that’s everything I love. I’m so passionate about it. Like, I just love it. I’ll see a face, and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s the image.’”

She gives a lot of the credit to the players who have helped her get her foot in the door — first Brissett, and now Queta. She’s also enormously grateful for the support she’s received from Tatum, who always makes sure to credit her when he uses her pictures.

Tatum, who has 7.3 million followers on Instagram, has ensured Robinson’s photos are seen by more people than she could have ever imagined. 

And, in turn, that’s given her other photography opportunities.

“If Jayson Tatum’s gonna repost me, [other NBA players think] why can’t I use Bri?” she said. “It’s a stamp of approval. JT has really pushed my work, and I’m always going to be grateful for that.”

This season, she’s chronicled Neemias Queta’s journey from a fourth-string center to one of the most durable and consistent centers in the league. She’s also captured tunnel shots for players like Ron Harper Jr, Luka Garza, and Baylor Scheierman. 

All of it means she is living out a dream she didn’t even know she had. 

The biggest beneficiaries? Celtics fans – who get to enjoy photos of the season’s most emotional moments.

The Orlando Magic, ranked eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 45-37 record, face the Philadelphia 76ers, who are seventh in the East with a 45-37 record. Philadelphia is favored with a -125 moneyline compared to Orlando's +105. The game is part of the Play-In Tournament.

How to watch Orlando Magic vs. Philadelphia 76ers

• Date: Wednesday, April 15

• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT

• Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• TV Channels: Amazon Prime

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team records

• Orlando Magic: 45-37 (eighth in Eastern Conference)

• Philadelphia 76ers: 45-37 (seventh in Eastern Conference)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: Philadelphia 76ers -1.5

• Moneyline: Philadelphia 76ers -125 / Orlando Magic +105

• Over/Under: 224.5

The Charlotte Hornets swinging a trade-deadline deal with the Chicago Bulls to bring Coby White back to his home state was immediately both an obviously great basketball move and a feel-good story, doubly so for those of us who are UNC fans. White, who of course spent one memorable year at UNC in 2019, added the kind of backup ballhandler that the Hornets had desperately needed throughout the first half of the season while seamlessly fitting with the team’s bombs-away approach from three-point range. He took a few games to get going after recovering from a minor injury, but by the end of the season, he was clearly an upgrade to the roster, averaging 18 points on 48/38/90 splits, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in 21 minutes per game over the Hornets’ last 10 games. As both a microwave scorer and secondary point guard, he looked like exactly what they needed as they won 7 of their last 10 and made the postseason for the first time in four years. And who better to have on your team for the Play-In Tournament than the guy who, two years ago, put up 42 in a Play-In game?

I’m still not sure anybody saw coming what he would do next. The Hornets and Miami Heat were in a back-and-forth affair all Tuesday night, and White had been stifled for the first half and most of the third quarter. With 2 minutes left in the quarter, the Heat were up 1 after the Hornets had chipped away at a five-point lead. White took the ball up the key, went around a Ryan Kalkbrenner screen, and banked in a left-wing pull-up three. It wasn’t pretty, but it seemed to give him the mojo he needed. Two possessions later, the Heat’s Pelle Larson tripped over himself in the backcourt and lost the ball into White’s hands. He might have had a pass inside, but he decided to pull up from the top of the key instead: splash. The next possession, he beat Simone Fontecchio off the dribble and finished at the rim, and then finished his flurry with a buzzer-beating catch-and-shoot three that ended the quarter. In two minutes, he’d gone on an 11-4 run against Miami that put his team up 6. I wish I had a video of all four plays, but here’s the last two:

For a lot of players, in a lot of games, that stretch would be the most noteworthy highlight they had. Not Coby White, not on this night. The Heat clawed back that deficit pretty early in the 4th and took as much as a 4-point lead with under 30 seconds to go. Charlotte’s Brandon Miller hit a 3, which made it possible for the Hornets to tie it after the Heat converted two free throws with 14 seconds left. And then Coby White did this:

It was a fantastic bit of awareness by both him and the Charlotte coaching staff that a shot would have to go up immediately so that Miami couldn’t foul to both waste time and eventually force the Hornets into shooting 2 when they needed 3, and it’s also an obviously incredibly high degree-of-difficulty shot. But that kind of gamer is who Coby White has always been. The Hornets got the last stop they needed in regulation and ended up winning an exciting overtime, and White finished with a line of 19 points including 5/8 shooting from three, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, recording a team-high plus-minus of +21 in a one-point game.

It is undeniably awesome to see Coby White back in the state where he set high school basketball records and led his college team to one of its most exciting regular seasons in recent memory, and still making incredible plays like he always has. The Hornets have been one of the NBA’s biggest success stories this year, turning around from multiple years of absolute futility, and on Tuesday night, he gave them exactly what they needed to not have that story cut short. He and Charlotte will be back in action on Friday as they try to put North Carolina’s professional team in the actual playoffs for the first time in a decade. Even if you’re not a Hornets or even an NBA fan, I assure you that Coby White remains just as fun to watch as you remember.

It’s fun to play the “What if…” game sometimes in sports. Sometimes, certain scenarios are worth remembering in the event of future transactions that would serve as a reminder of one team’s initial interest in a particular player. If for nothing else, it creates some fun dialogue amongst fans.

As we prepare for Philadelphia’s clash with Orlando Wednesday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena, let’s rewind about two years to the summer of 2024. It was then that Paul George opted to walk right into the massive amount of cap space Daryl Morey had to negotiate with after finally being done with Tobias Harris and his huge contract. Do you remember who the reported runner-up to the Sixers in the George sweepstakes? In case you forgot, we wouldn’t blame you, but it was the Orlando Magic. 

Orlando, not often thought of as a top free-agent destination in the NBA, was coming off a loss in the first round to Cleveland in seven games at the time. Rewind two more years and the Magic were busy drafting Paolo Banchero first overall in the 2022 draft and it didn’t take long for the Magic to ascend into postseason play. George was likely thought of as a veteran that still had some juice left to help Banchero and the rest of Orlando’s younger players mature while also helping them on the court in an effort to rise up to a higher position in the East.

Well, we know what happened and George picked Philly and barring an upset of either Boston or Detroit in the first round this year, the Sixers are going to go the first two years of George’s contract without winning a playoff series with George on the roster.  Orlando has stayed in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference’s playoff seeds in the last two years without George and will have to figure out a different way to get out of NBA purgatory.

But what would the Sixers have done if George picked Orlando? Well, it seemed like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who ironically ended up in Orlando, would have been their next target. Caldwell-Pope didn’t get anywhere near the money that George got in the summer of 2024, and he also got one less year on his contract, but his three-year, $66 million contract flopped quickly for the Magic and they flipped him to Memphis last summer. The trade certainly came at a cost for Orlando who decided to add Cole Anthony, four unprotected first-round picks and a 2029 first-round pick swap to bring in Desmond Bane from the Grizzlies.

It was certainly an understandable pivot from a Magic team looking to maximize every season they have Banchero under contract for, but think about if the Sixers were in that position. Philly already has outgoing first-round pick debts to Oklahoma City and Brooklyn that have not been paid. It simply would not have been possible for the Sixers to shed the final two years of a hefty deal to Caldwell-Pope while still adding a player like Bane to improve their chances of contending.

So, what would the Sixers have done with the rest of the money they would have saved from not signing George had they brought in Caldwell-Pope? It’s possible they would have just given more of it to Caleb Martin. Morey ended up landing Martin anyway, and then trading him in his first season with the Sixers.

Somehow, we have now landed in a world in which it was better to simply sign George than pivot to such alternatives that would have likely made the 2024-25 season even worse. Granted, the Sixers were able to survive all the losing last season by keeping their first-rounder and delaying the debt to Oklahoma City and drafting VJ Edgecombe. But just when you thought last season couldn’t have possibly gone worse, there’s a scenario in which it just might have and all it would have taken was George to have picked Orlando instead of Philadelphia.

To revisit an aforementioned point, maybe the Magic have seen the resurgence from George after his suspension this season. Perhaps it has served as a reminder for the Orlando brass of the player they thought they could get two years ago. Would the Magic possibly be interested in engaging with the Sixers and taking the final two years of George’s contract? It’s at least food for thought.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was fuming over the injury to his star player, Bam Adebayo, in the second quarter of the team’s play-in loss to the Hornets Tuesday night.

Adebayo was tripped by LaMelo Ball just over a minute into the second quarter and did not return due to a lower back injury after falling hard to the court.

Ball fell after driving to the basket and grabbed Adebayo’s left ankle.

Is this a dirty play by LaMelo? pic.twitter.com/tPebBPDLDC

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 15, 2026

Spoelstra felt Ball should’ve been ejected from the game and put the onus on the referees, naming Curtis Blair and Zach Zarba, specifically.

“I don’t think it’s cute. I don’t think it’s funny. I think it’s a stupid play. It’s a dangerous play,” Spoelstra said after the game. “Obviously, our best player was out. I’m not making an excuse. The Hornets played great and they made those plays down the stretch. We had our opportunities to win.

“That’s a shame. [Ball] should be penalized for that. I don’t think that belongs in the game, tripping guys, shenanigans. Curtis was there. It’s his responsibility to see that, and if it’s not his responsibility then Zach’s got to see it. Somebody has got to see that. He should have been thrown out of the game for that. I don’t know [Ball] from anyone. There’s no place in the game for that.”

The NBA is reviewing the incident, insider Chris Haynes reported Wednesday, and a decision on potential discipline is expected before the Hornets’ next game on Friday.

“I apologize on that one. I got hit in the head, didn’t really know where I was, but I’mma check on him and see if he’s okay and everything,” Ball said after the game.

Ball ended up making the game-winning layup with 4.7 seconds left in overtime, giving ninth-seeded Charlotte a 127-126 win at home.

Charlotte will visit the loser of Wednesday’s 76ers vs. Magic game with the final playoff spot in the East on the line, while Miami’s season is over.

Ball’s poor shooting kept the Heat in the game. The 24-year-old went 12-for-31 and was 2-for-16 from 3-point range. He finished with 30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds.

Adebayo had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.

NBA viewership up 86% over last season amid new media rights deal, league says originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The numbers are in, and the NBA says Year 1 of its new television deals were a hit.

The league released numbers for the regular season on Wednesday, showing that 170 million people in the U.S. watched NBA games across the league’s four primary broadcast platforms this year — those being ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV.

Those numbers are the league’s best in 24 years, the NBA said, plus represented an 86% rise over last season.

Prime Video was part of the league’s television rights package for the first time this season and NBC/Peacock returned for the first time in a generation. The league signed a new 11-year, $76 billion-plus media rights deal in 2024 to show games on those two platforms along with ABC/ESPN and NBA TV.

Those deals kicked in at the start of this season.

Other highlights of the viewership numbers:

— NBA games across ABC/ESPN, Amazon Prime Video, NBC/Peacock and NBA TV had the the highest average viewership in 13 years, up 35% over last season.

— A total of 57 telecasts this season reached an average of 2 million viewers, the most since the 2011-12 season.

— People watched NBA games for more than 920 million hours, up 25% over last season and the most since 2011-12.

— The NBA’s social media channels generated a record 228 billion views this season, according to Videocites. That’s up 13% over last season.

— Attendance over the past three seasons in NBA arenas is higher than any three-season span in league history.

— Viewership for NBA Cup group play games was up 90% from last season.

— The audience for the All-Star Game on NBC, averaging 8.8 million viewers, was the largest for the league’s midseason showcase event since 2011.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

The NBA Play-In Tournament continues tonight with the Orlando Magic heading to the City of Brotherly Love to take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the 7/8 matchup.

We use our NBA player prop projections to deliver you the best Magic vs. 76ers predictions and NBA picks on the board tonight.

Magic vs 76ers computer picks for April 15

Magic	76ers
Wagner u19.5 points  -125	Grimes o2.5 assists +155
Suggs o13.5 points  +100	Drummond o6.5 points  -112
Bane o3.5 assists  -130	Grimes o9.5 points -120

Cash your ML bets quicker with bet365's early win payout!

Take advantage of the early win payout at bet365, where any pre-game NBA moneyline bet gets paid out as a winner if your team goes up by 20+ points!

Learn more about this feature, and all of bet365's offerings, with our comprehensive bet365 review!

Sign Up Now atimg src="https://img.covers.com/betting/sportsbooks/2/bet365.svg" alt="bet365" width="100" height="28" style="vertical-align: middle;"

21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Magic computer picks

Franz Wagner Under 19.5 points (-125)

Projection: 17.65 points

While he finished the season with back-to-back 20-point outings, Franz Wagner failed to reach this number in nine straight games before that. 

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet wagner Now at bet365!/span

Jalen Suggs Over 13.5 points (+100)

Projection: 14.88 points

Jalen Suggs finished the season with a 23-point game against the Celtics and hit 11 threes over his last two games. That shooting will continue against a middling Philadelphia 76ers defense.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet Suggs Now at bet365!/span

Desmond Bane Over 3.5 assists (-130)

Projection: 4.42 assists

Desmond Bane has cleared this number in four of his last six games and also logged five and six assists over his last two games against Philly.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet bane Now at bet365!/span

---

76ers computer picks

Quentin Grimes Over 2.5 assists (+155)

Projection: 2.92 assists

Quinton Grimes' assist numbers come and go, but he had 3+ assists in five straight games to end March and has cleared this number in every game against the Orlando Magic this season.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet GRIMES Now at bet365!/span

Andre Drummond Over 6.5 points (-112)

Projection: 8.41 points

Joel Embiid's absence has boosted Andre Drummond's role, and the big man has scored 22 points over his last two games to end the season.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet DRUMMOND Now at bet365!/span

Quentin Grimes Over 9.5 points (-120)

Projection: 11.14 points

Grimes is averaging nearly 15 points per game over his last three games in a stretch that includes two 20-point nights. That scoring streak continues tonight.

span style="font-size: 14px;"🔥/span spanBet Grimes Now at bet365!/span

How to watch Magic vs 76ers tonight

Location	Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Date	Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Tip-off	7:30 p.m. ET
TV	Prime Video

Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.

MORE NBA PICKS

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

It’s win or stay home (to play the Hornets) for the Sixers when they host the Orlando Magic in the East’s 7-8 Play-In game Wednesday night.

After Charlotte’s thrilling overtime win Tuesday night, we know what’s at stake in this one: the winner of Sixers-Magic will head to Boston for a playoff matchup with the Celtics starting Sunday afternoon. The loser will host the Hornets Friday with one last chance to make the postseason and take on the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.

Both teams come into this one in weird places.

The Magic made a huge splash this past offseason to acquire Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies. The thought was Bane could be an ideal complement to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Orlando became a trendy pick to potentially win the Eastern Conference. Between injuries and inconsistencies, the team never truly took off this season. Their regular season culminated in a loss to the Hospital Celtics, which cost the Magic the opportunity to host this game instead of heading to South Philly.

The trio of Bane, Banchero and Wagner is still a dangerous one. Any of them could go off and have a big scoring night. Their top reserve, Anthony Black, had a strong regular season and was excellent against the Sixers this season. The biggest challenge for the Sixers will be contending with the Magic’s size, but with Paul George, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Dominick Barlow all healthy, they should be able to handle it.

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe will be one of the most dangerous backcourts in the NBA playoffs (if they make it there). They face a stiff test tonight from the dogged Jalen Suggs and Bane. We’ll see how Maxey and his strained pinky tendon fare with those two aggressive guards swiping at it all night.

The center position might be the X-factor in this one. With Joel Embiid still out, Andre Drummond and Adem Bona will be the only true bigs available for the Sixers. The guess here is Drummond gets the starting nod based off his experience and Orlando’s aforementioned size. The good news for the Sixers is the Magic don’t have a true stretch big option. Wendell Carter Jr. will shoot threes, but he made just 31.9% on the season. However, both Carter and backup Goga Bitadze average over two offensive rebounds a game — and we all know about the Sixers’ issues there.

This game has serious rock fight potential. Neither squad is a great three-point shooting team. The Sixers hold a slight advantage there with Maxey, George, Edgecombe and Oubre all being legitimate threats from deep this season. And don’t forget about Drummond entering his Splash Mountain era.

Without Embiid, this will be a difficult matchup for the Sixers, but it’s a winnable game. The Magic are in a weird place after a disappointing regular season with plenty of questions surrounding the job security of head coach Jamahl Mosley. It might behoove the Sixers to jump on Orlando early by forcing turnovers and getting out and on the break.

Aside from Embiid, the Sixers will still be without rookie big Johni Broome. Trendon Watford is considered probable with an illness. For the Magic, Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) are questionable. The health of Wagner, who’s still battling back from a high left ankle sprain, is also worth monitoring.

Game Details

When: Wednesday, April 15, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: Amazon Prime
Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
Follow: @LibertyBallers

The luxury of securing the 2-seed is a comfy view from the top. While the Boston Celtics spent the final weeks of the regular season fine-tuning rotations and monitoring their health, the lower tier of Eastern Conference playoff teams were in a chaotic sprint toward the finish line.

The 5 through 10 seeds shuffled around all season, and now, with the dust settled, the Sixers and Magic find themselves in the Play-In.

On Wednesday, Philadelphia and Orlando will face off in the 7/8 game. The winner gets a date with Boston in Round 1. The loser gets one more chance to stay alive, with Detroit waiting.

For the Celtics, waiting on their matchup is familiar territory — and so are their two options. The Magic and Sixers are on different timelines, but they’ve ended up in a similar place statistically.

They rank 17th and 18th in net rating — Orlando at +0.6, Philadelphia at -0.1. On paper, it’s a coin flip. The injury picture says otherwise.

If it’s the Magic

Boston already knows what Orlando looks like up close. The Celtics beat them in five games in last year’s first round. The series was never seriously in doubt, but the Magic were physical enough to leave a mark. They made every possession feel like work, and Tatum missed a game because of it.

That memory is real, but the season finale offered a more comfortable preview of what a rematch might look like.

Watching Boston’s bench take it to Orlando’s starters and come away with a win matters. The Celtics didn’t have much to play for beyond pride, while Orlando was still jockeying for seeding. The loss dropped the Magic below the Sixers, forcing them onto the road for the Play-In.

This year’s version of Orlando hasn’t quite taken the leap many expected, but the core challenges are still there. Franz Wagner missed a significant chunk of the season with a high ankle sprain, playing just 34 games, but he’s had a few outings in April to get his legs back. He’s worth watching closely — Orlando’s net rating swings +4.9 with him on the floor, the largest individual impact on the roster.

As a duo, he and Paolo Banchero still haven’t consistently translated their talent into positive results. The pairing often comes back negative when they share the floor. The shot-making and self-creation are obvious, but the connection between them hasn’t fully clicked.

The Magic’s identity hasn’t really changed. They’re built on defense and physicality, and they can turn half-court offense into a grind. Desmond Bane adds another layer of offensive versatility, and Anthony Black has taken a step forward across the board.

There’s great size and length in Orlando’s creators, and that can cause problems in a playoff setting. Boston, though, is one of the teams most equipped to match that with its own wing depth. It becomes less about stopping them, and more about whether Orlando can consistently generate efficient offense against a defense built to handle that profile.

If it’s the Sixers

Philadelphia is the more manageable problem on paper — and it starts with Joel Embiid not being available.

The Sixers’ center underwent an emergency appendectomy late in the season and has reportedly not been around the team since. Without him, the foundation of their offense shifts dramatically. With Embiid on the floor, Philadelphia’s offensive rating sits at 121.2. Without him, it drops to 114.1 — a seven-point-per-100-possession decline that strips away the interior presence, short-roll playmaking, and gravitational pull that opens everything else up.

The ripple effects show up everywhere. Three-point percentage falls from 37.8% to 33.6% with him off the floor, a reflection of how much more difficult the game becomes for their perimeter creators.

What remains is the Tyrese Maxey show, and that’s a more volatile experience than his numbers might suggest.

Maxey plays at a speed that forces decisions before a defense is set. He’s the type of guard who turns a made Celtics basket into a layup on the other end before the defense can get organized. He finished the season at 28.3 points and 6.6 assists, with the ability to decelerate into floaters and pull-up threes that make him difficult to stay in front of.

That quick-twitch style presents a different kind of challenge than Orlando’s size. It’s less about absorbing contact and more about containing pace and decision-making.

The playoff reality, though, is that Boston gets to simplify things without Embiid. No interior threat to account for means they can focus on keeping Maxey in front and forcing the rest of the roster to prove it can beat them. He can swing a game, but carrying that burden across four wins against Boston’s perimeter defense is a different ask entirely.

Wednesday’s game feels like a toss-up, and the regular season meetings don’t offer a clean answer either. Philadelphia took two of three from Orlando, but the results swung wildly, including a 40-point loss in November.

Boston isn’t running from either matchup, and they’ll be favored either way. But the questions they ask are different. Orlando brings size, physicality, and a defense that can drag a series into the mud. Philadelphia, without Embiid, leans almost entirely on Maxey’s burst and shot creation to sustain anything over seven games.

One of those problems is harder to solve than the other.

If there’s a preference, it starts there.