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One woman paid the ultimate price for not paying attention to high-octane basketball while sitting courtside.
During Wednesday night’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic play-in tournament game, a woman sitting on the floor was talking on the phone when a Paolo Banchero pass went haywire.
Almost everyone near the basketball moved out of the way, except for the person toward whom the ball was in a direct line.
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VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a basket by Paul George during the first half of an NBA tournament against the Orlando Magic at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The unsuspecting woman took the ball straight to her head and it bounced several rows behind her.
76ers star Tyrese Maxey rushed to check on the woman. It is said that he lasted the rest of the game.
Hopefully, for their sake, it paid off as the Sixers earned a 109-97 victory to clinch seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
Maxey, named an Eastern Conference All-Star starter for the first time in his career, scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter to give the Sixers some breathing room against a Magic team that squandered the opportunity to play this game at home with a late collapse in a loss to the Boston Celtics in the season finale. Maxey finished with 31 points on the night.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey reacts with fans in the final seconds of a game against the Orlando Magic in the play-in round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Image Images)
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VJ Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sixers now face those same Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Joel Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. While the 76ers have not given a timetable for his return, the two-time scoring champion returned to the team on Wednesday, surprising his teammates in the locker room and watching the game from the bench.
The Magic will now play the Charlotte Hornets, who kept their season alive by defeating the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George talks with guards Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe during a break in the third quarter against the Orlando Magic in the play-in round of the 2026 NBA playoffs at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Image Images)
Sixers fans chanted “We want Boston!” in the final moments, but perhaps it’s best to pay attention to the history of the series. The 76ers have lost their last six playoff series against the Celtics. Philadelphia last beat Boston in a series in 1982.
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