Image Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic Overcome Atlanta Hawks in Play-In to Clinch No.7 Seed and Face Boston Celtics in Playoffs

Orlando Magic will now take on the defending champions, Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoff series.

Image Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Orlando Magic, who made their first ever appearance in Play-In Tournament, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 on Tuesday night to clinch the No. 7 seed for the NBA playoffs. The Magic handed over the Hawks their first ever defeat in the Play-In tournament and Atlanta will now face the winner of the game between No. 9 and No. 10 on Friday.

Cole Anthony led Orlando with 26 points and made 10 of 17 shots including 4 of 9 3-pointers. Paolo Banchero added 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists while Wendell Carter, Jr., scored 19 points and seven rebounds. Anthony Black had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench. The Magic will start their first-round playoff series at Boston on Sunday.

PLAY THE SONG 🗣️

The @OrlandoMagic are headed to the #NBAPlayoffs! pic.twitter.com/BQ2IfGa3J0
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 16, 2025

Also Read: Orlando Magic Playoffs History – How Many Times Have the Atlanta Hawks made it to the Postseason?

Orlando Magic Advance to the 2025 NBA playoffs with a Convincing Play-In Win

Orlando Magic made a solid start to the game and built a 32-17 lead in the opening quarter. The early double-digit lead put pressure on the Hawks, who had two NBA stat leaders in the team. Atlanta sparked a 19-9 run at the start of the third quarter and reduced the deficit to three points.

The early 11-6 run in the first quarter helped Orlando regain the double-digit lead. Trae Young received two technical fouls in the game and the 2024-25 regular season assist leader faced an automatic ejection with 4:47 left in the game. A 17-4 run in the midway of the quarter from the Magic confirmed the Hawks’ defeat. Orlando outscored Atlanta 41-22 in the final quarter.

TRAE YOUNG CHUCKED THE BALL AT THE REF AND GOT EJECTED 💀 pic.twitter.com/QXFDQJUujQ
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) April 16, 2025

Trae Young was top performer for the Hawks with 28 points and six assists. Georges Niang contributed 15 points while Onyeka Okongwu had 11 points and nine rebounds. Before losing this fixture, Atlanta didn’t drop a single game in the Play-in Tournament in past three seasons. They will now head to home to face either Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat on Friday.

Also Read: Atlanta Hawks Playoff History – How Many Times Have the Atlanta Hawks made it to the Postseason?

Orlando Magic will now take on the defending champions, Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoff series. The Magic are 0-9 all time as the lower seed in opening round playoff series so they will be under pressure on Sunday. They haven’t won a playoff series since 2010 and haven’t ever won an opening round series as the lower seed.

Image Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.