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A woman paid the ultimate price for not paying attention to high-octane basketball while sitting on the court.
During Wednesday night’s Philadelphia 76ers-Orlando Magic play-in tournament game, a woman with floor seats was on the phone when a pass from Paolo Banchero went haywire.
Almost everyone near the basketball moved out of the way, except for the one person the ball was aimed directly at.
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VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a basket by Paul George during the first half of an NBA tournament game against the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 15, 2026. (Émilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The unsuspecting woman took the ball directly to her head, and it ricocheted several rows behind her.
76ers star Tyrese Maxey rushed to see the woman. She is said to have endured the remainder of the match.
Hopefully, for her, it was worth it, as the Sixers rolled to a 109-97 victory to clinch the seventh seed 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 to give the Sixers some breathing room against a Magic team that missed a chance 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 that 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 Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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VJ Edgecombe added 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sixers now face these same Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs.
Joel Embiid underwent an emergency appendectomy last week in Houston. While the 76ers haven’t 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 face the Charlotte Hornets, who kept their season alive by beating 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/Imagn Images)
Sixers fans chanted “We want Boston!” in the final moments, but it might be better to pay attention to the history of the series. The 76ers have lost their last six playoff series to the Celtics. Philadelphia last dominated Boston in a series in 1982.
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