Orlando Magic enter playoffs after rout of Atlanta Hawks in Play-In
The Orlando Magic opened the 2024–25 NBA Play-In Tournament with a bang, dismantling the Atlanta Hawks, 120–95, on Wednesday morning, April 16, (Philippine time) at the Kia Center in Orlando.
From the get-go, the Magic set the tone, dominating the first quarter, 32–17. They dropped the second by just a point but still carried a 61–47 lead into halftime.
The Hawks responded in the third canto with a 26–18 run to trim the deficit to just six, 79–73.
Come the fourth and final period, the Magic turned up the heat again, outscoring Atlanta 41–22 to secure the 25-point victory.
Cole Anthony led the charge off the bench with 26 points on 4-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. He also added three rebounds and five assists.
Wendell Carter Jr. anchored the starting unit with 19 markers, seven boards, and two dimes, while Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner filled up the stat sheets despite their struggles from long range, going a combined 0-of-8 from downtown.
Banchero posted a near triple-double with 17 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, one steal, and one block. Wagner followed with a gritty double-double of 13 markers and 13 boards, along with three dimes, two swipes, and one rejection.
On the other end, Trae Young led the Hawks with a game-high 28 markers, going a perfect 11-of-11 from the charity stripe. However, he was limited to 38.1% shooting from the field (8-of-21) and just 20% from deep (1-of-5).
George Niang backed him up with 15 points and three rebounds off the bench, while Mouhamed Gueye and Onyeka Okongwu added 12 and 11 markers, respectively.
With the win, the Magic clinched the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference and are now set to face the defending champion and second-seeded Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs beginning April 20.
As for the Hawks, they still have a shot at the Playoffs when they face the winner of the Bulls-Heat matchup for the eighth and final seed in the East.
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The Golden State Warriors secured the 7th seed in the Western Conference Playoffs after a hard-fought 121-116 win against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, April 16 (Philippine time).
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry combined for 75 points to lead the Warriors to victory.
Butler had a game-high 38 points along with seven rebounds, six assists, and three steals. Curry followed with 37 markers, knocking down 6-of-13 from beyond the arc—including two crucial treys in the closing minutes, one near the corner and another after a triple pump fake that thrilled the home crowd. He added eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
Gary Payton II and Quentin Post added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Draymond Green dished out a game-high 10 assists while also contributing four points, six rebounds, three steals, and a block before fouling out with 58.6 seconds left in the game.
On April 20 (Philippine time), the NBA postseason officially tips off, with 16 teams vying for the coveted 2024–25 NBA Championship.
But before the Playoffs begin, four remaining spots are still up for grabs through the Play-In Tournament.
In the Western Conference, the No. 9 seed Sacramento Kings will take on the No. 10 seed Dallas Mavericks, while the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors will battle the No. 8 seed Memphis Grizzlies.
The winner of the 9-vs-10 matchup will then face the loser of the 7-vs-8 game for the right to claim the No. 8 seed in the Playoffs, earning a showdown with the No. 1 seed Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, the loser of the 9-vs-10 game will be eliminated from contention, while the winner of the 7-vs-8 clash will secure the No. 7 seed and go on to face the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets.
Other first-round matchups in the Western Conference include:
(4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) LA Clippers
(3) LA Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
In the Eastern Conference, the Play-In pairings are:
(9) Chicago Bulls vs. (10) Miami Heat
(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Atlanta Hawks
The same Play-In format applies: the 9-10 winner plays the 7-8 loser for the final playoff spot. The winner of the 7-8 game becomes the No. 7 seed and will face the No. 2 seed and defending champions, Boston Celtics. The team that claims the No. 8 seed will go up against the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
The San Miguel Beermen held off a fierce rally from the Meralco Bolts, clinching a 110-98 victory in a retro-themed showdown as the PBA marked its golden anniversary on Wednesday, April 9, at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
In a game that celebrated both history and high-level basketball, the Beermen donned vintage uniforms inspired by the 1982 season, while the Bolts sported kits reminiscent of the Reddy Kilowatts era from the 1970s. The nostalgia-filled atmosphere set the stage for a clash worthy of the league’s 50-year legacy.
San Miguel notched its second straight win in the Philippine Cup to move to 2-0, while Meralco suffered its first loss, falling 2-1.
June Mar Fajardo once again anchored the Beermen with a commanding performance, putting up 28 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. CJ Perez led all scorers with 29 markers, alongside five boards, four dimes, and two deflections, delivering when it mattered most.
The Beermen came out strong, building a 17-point lead, 50-33, late in the second quarter before heading into the break with a 52-38 advantage.
However, the Bolts refused to back down. Behind the efforts of Chris Newsome and Kurt Reyson, Meralco stormed back in the third period.
Newsome dropped 11 points, while Reyson added nine as the duo combined for more than half of the Bolts’ 36 points in the quarter. By the end of the frame, Meralco had cut the deficit to just three, 77-74.
Still, San Miguel showed poise in the final period. A 10-2 run sparked by a Perez layup and capped by back-to-back triples from Perez and Juami Tiongson pushed the lead back to double digits, 92-81.
Meralco mounted one last surge, with Reymar Jose and Aaron Black scoring consecutively to trim the gap to 101-95 with just under three minutes left. But San Miguel responded with a game-sealing 6-0 run to restore a comfortable cushion at 105-97, ultimately closing out the victory.
"They were able to cut the lead, but because of our experience, especially June Mar, they know how to deal with those kinds of situations," said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
"They were able to cut the lead, but because of our experience, especially June Mar, they know how to deal with those kinds of situations,” he added.
The Beermen also drew solid contributions from Jeron Teng, who chipped in 11 points, three rebounds, and a steal, and Rodney Brondial, who added nine markers, nine boards, a dime, and a block in a well-rounded effort.
For the Bolts, team captain Newsome led the charge with 27 points, seven assists, and four rebounds, while Reyson provided energy off the bench with 14 markers in a gritty performance.
The Scores:
San Miguel 110 – Perez 29, Fajardo 28, Teng 11, Brondial 9, Lassiter 8, Tiongson 7, Rosales 7, Tautuaa 6, Trollano 5, Cahilig 0.
Meralco 98 – Newsome 27, Reyson 14, Black 12, Jose 12, Hodge 10, Cansino 8, Bates 6, Almazan 5, Quinto 4, Torres 0, Rios 0, Caram 0, Pascual 0.
Quarter Scores: 25-21, 52-38, 77-74, 110-98.