The Magic had it bad on the final day of the 2025-26 NBA regular season, as they slipped on a banana peel. With their road loss against the Celtics, the Magic dropped to eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, but they can still clinch their playoff berth as soon as tomorrow.
With the Raptors taking the final Top 6 spot, the battle for the seventh and eighth spots is up for grabs between four teams: the Magic, Sixers, Hornets, and Heat. If the Magic win, they’ll be the seventh seed. But if they lose, they’ll have one more chance against the winner between the Heat and the Hornets.
Over in the Western Conference, the Suns, Blazers, Clippers, and Warriors will fight for the seventh and eighth spots. The Suns and Blazers are in the same position as the Magic, while the Clippers and Warriors are in the same situation as the Hornets and Heat.
Miami Heat @ Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte, who defied our low preseason expectations this season, recently snapped their two-game skid with a 110-96 road win against the Knicks on Sunday. Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Coby White had 19 points each to lead Charlotte in scoring, while Kon Knueppel added 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Knueppel broke the record for the most three-pointers made in his maiden NBA season, as he finished with 273 three-pointers.
The Heat ended their regular season with a two-game winning run, following a 143-117 rout of the Hawks on Sunday. Jaime Jaquez Jr. led the way with 26 points and five assists on 12-for-17 shooting from the field in 26 minutes off the bench. Norman Powell, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Keshad Johnson, and Davion Mitchell added 25, 25, 16, 12, and 12 points.
Betting tip – Charlotte Hornets Asian Handicap -5.00 @ 1.82
Portland Trail Blazers @ Phoenix Suns
Phoenix are fresh from a 135-103 win against Oklahoma City on Sunday, as Jamaree Bouyea had 27 points, five rebounds, nine assists, and two blocks on 12-for-23 shooting from the field in 40 minutes. Ryan Dunn, Koby Brea, Khaman Maluach, Amir Coffey, Rasheer Fleming, and CJ Huntley added 20, 20, 18, 17, 16, and 10 points. The Suns are expected to go all-in in this play-in game, especially with Dillon Brooks (hand) now healthy after spending weeks on the sidelines.
The Blazers ended their regular season with a two-game winning streak. During their 122-110 final win against the Kings, Deni Avdija had 25 points, six rebounds, 10 assists, and five three-pointers on 9-for-19 shooting from the field in 33 minutes. Jrue Holiday, Toumani Camara, Scoot Henderson, and Donovan Clingan added 23, 15, 15, and 13 points.
Betting tip – Phoenix Suns Asian Handicap -4.50 @ 2.08
Orlando Magic @ Philadelphia Sixers
What made the Magic’s final-day loss to the Celtics was that they lost to the Celtics’ reserves on Sunday. Paolo Banchero did all he could by putting up a triple-double: 23 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on 7-for-22 shooting from the field in 38 minutes. Jalen Suggs also had 23 points, and Franz Wagner and Anthony Black added 20 and 13 points.
The Sixers ended their regular season campaign with back-to-back wins against the Pacers and Bucks. During their 126-106 win against Milwaukee on Sunday, Tyrese Maxey had 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field in 27 minutes, and Quentin Grimes, Justin Edwards, Andre Drummond, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Paul George contributed 20, 17, 12, 11, and 11 points.
Philadelphia are expected to be without Joel Embiid (appendectomy) at the start of the play-in tournament, which would make it harder for them to put up more NBA 2026 highlights on Wednesday.
Betting tip – Under 221.00 @ 1.82
Golden State Warriors @ LA Clippers
The Warriors ended their regular season on a bad note, dropping seven of their last eight, including a 115-110 loss to the Clippers on Sunday night in the finale.
Stephen Curry had a team-high 24 points, six rebounds, three assists, and four three-pointers on 7-for-14 shooting from the field in 29 minutes. Charles Bassey, Kristaps Porzingis, and Brandin Podziemski added 16, 12, and 10 points. As for the Clippers, Bennedict Mathurin led with 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists off the bench on 7-for-17 shooting in 20 minutes. John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Darius Garland, Jordan Miller, and Kobe Sanders added 18, 17, 15, 14, and 11 points.
LA managed to beat Golden State without Kawhi Leonard, and the two-time champion will likely make all the difference in the SBOTOP NBA 2026 odds on Wednesday.
Betting tip – LA Clippers Asian Handicap -5.50 @ 1.94
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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