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Entering Friday’s slate of games, there were plenty of questions that needed to be answered in the East.
But heading into the final day of the regular season Sunday, the standings are set and offer more clarity for the Magic.
The Play-In Tournament in the conference will feature No. 7 Orlando hosting No. 8 Atlanta at Kia Center on Tuesday and No. 9 Chicago hosting No. 10 Miami at United Center on Wednesday.
The winner of Magic-Hawks will claim the seventh spot in the playoffs and face the No. 2 Celtics in the first round. The loser of that game will host the winner Bulls-Heat on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the No. 1 Cavaliers in Round 1.
Elsewhere, the No. 3 Knicks will have homecourt advantage in their first-round matchup with No. 6 Pistons, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The No. 4 Pacers, who Orlando beat Friday in a contest that saw neither team play majority of its regular starters, will meet the No. 5 Bucks for the second year in a row. This time Indiana will get homecourt advantage.
It’s unlikely the Magic and Hawks will roll out their regulars Sunday, too, or add any new wrinkles with their lineups or set plays given the importance of Tuesday’s Play-In matchup.
Paolo Banchero (right ankle soreness), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left knee strain), Wendell Carter Jr. (right hip contusion), and Franz Wagner (right knee soreness) are all questionable.
Regardless of who plays, Orlando and Atlanta will meet a third time in just a week’s time for a chance to secure their spot in the playoffs and avoid an elimination game.
“You start preparing by watching past games, what we’ve done, what they’ve done, the adjustments that need to be made, what we did well, what we need to improve on, and all of those things you’re looking at now,” coach Jamahl Mosley said Friday night. “Being able to get ahead of that not just for this game coming up on Sunday but also the Play-In … knowing what we need to do, how we have to approach the game. The beauty of it and the blessing is being at home in front of our fans.”
That doesn’t mean Friday’s game at Indiana or Sunday’s matinee with the Hawks are entirely meaningless.
In fact, Orlando’s win against the Pacers meant plenty for two-way guard Trevelin Queen, who won’t be able to appear in Sunday’s game or be eligible for the postseason.
Two-way players can only be active for 50 NBA games and he reached his limit. Playing 31 times, he also was activated 19 though he didn’t play.
He didn’t waste his chance when he recorded a career-high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 30 minutes.
With four years of NBA service, he’s no longer eligible for a two-way deal moving forward. Queen believes he’s proved he’s worthy of a standard contract.
“I wanted to have my own confidence in saying that I belong here,” Queen said. “It gave me the confidence and belief that I am an NBA player.”
The Magic also have a chance to finish above .500 for a second consecutive season, and that would be for the first time since 2011-12.
“We’ve got a group of fighters on our team,” second-year pro Anthony Black said. “It just says a lot about how we were able to come together as a team and string together wins no matter who was in the lineup.”
Orlando’s G League affiliate dropped Game 2 of the G League Finals at Stockton, Calif., late Friday night.
The Osceola loss sets up a championship-deciding matchup Monday night at Osceola Heritage Park (ESPN2, 8).
In the best-of-three series, the home team has won by an average of 14.5 points.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Magic at Hawks
When: 1, Sunday, State Farm Arena
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida
Continue reading...
But heading into the final day of the regular season Sunday, the standings are set and offer more clarity for the Magic.
The Play-In Tournament in the conference will feature No. 7 Orlando hosting No. 8 Atlanta at Kia Center on Tuesday and No. 9 Chicago hosting No. 10 Miami at United Center on Wednesday.
The winner of Magic-Hawks will claim the seventh spot in the playoffs and face the No. 2 Celtics in the first round. The loser of that game will host the winner Bulls-Heat on Friday for the No. 8 spot and the right to face the No. 1 Cavaliers in Round 1.
Elsewhere, the No. 3 Knicks will have homecourt advantage in their first-round matchup with No. 6 Pistons, who are in the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
The No. 4 Pacers, who Orlando beat Friday in a contest that saw neither team play majority of its regular starters, will meet the No. 5 Bucks for the second year in a row. This time Indiana will get homecourt advantage.
It’s unlikely the Magic and Hawks will roll out their regulars Sunday, too, or add any new wrinkles with their lineups or set plays given the importance of Tuesday’s Play-In matchup.
Paolo Banchero (right ankle soreness), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left knee strain), Wendell Carter Jr. (right hip contusion), and Franz Wagner (right knee soreness) are all questionable.
Regardless of who plays, Orlando and Atlanta will meet a third time in just a week’s time for a chance to secure their spot in the playoffs and avoid an elimination game.
“You start preparing by watching past games, what we’ve done, what they’ve done, the adjustments that need to be made, what we did well, what we need to improve on, and all of those things you’re looking at now,” coach Jamahl Mosley said Friday night. “Being able to get ahead of that not just for this game coming up on Sunday but also the Play-In … knowing what we need to do, how we have to approach the game. The beauty of it and the blessing is being at home in front of our fans.”
That doesn’t mean Friday’s game at Indiana or Sunday’s matinee with the Hawks are entirely meaningless.
In fact, Orlando’s win against the Pacers meant plenty for two-way guard Trevelin Queen, who won’t be able to appear in Sunday’s game or be eligible for the postseason.
Two-way players can only be active for 50 NBA games and he reached his limit. Playing 31 times, he also was activated 19 though he didn’t play.
He didn’t waste his chance when he recorded a career-high 25 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in 30 minutes.
With four years of NBA service, he’s no longer eligible for a two-way deal moving forward. Queen believes he’s proved he’s worthy of a standard contract.
“I wanted to have my own confidence in saying that I belong here,” Queen said. “It gave me the confidence and belief that I am an NBA player.”
The Magic also have a chance to finish above .500 for a second consecutive season, and that would be for the first time since 2011-12.
“We’ve got a group of fighters on our team,” second-year pro Anthony Black said. “It just says a lot about how we were able to come together as a team and string together wins no matter who was in the lineup.”
Osceola to host winner-take-all
Orlando’s G League affiliate dropped Game 2 of the G League Finals at Stockton, Calif., late Friday night.
The Osceola loss sets up a championship-deciding matchup Monday night at Osceola Heritage Park (ESPN2, 8).
In the best-of-three series, the home team has won by an average of 14.5 points.
Jason Beede can be reached at [email protected]
Up next …
Magic at Hawks
When: 1, Sunday, State Farm Arena
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Florida
Continue reading...
