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A 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 who had floor seats was on her phone when a pass from Paolo Banchero went haywire.
Just about everyone in the vicinity of the basketball moved out of the way, except for the one person who the ball was in a direct line toward.
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VJ Edgecombe of the Philadelphia 76ers celebrates a basket by Paul George during the first half of an NBA play-in tournament game against the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., April 15, 2026. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The unsuspecting woman took the ball right to the head, and it ricocheted several rows behind her.
76ers star Tyrese Maxey rushed over to check on the woman. She is said to have toughed out the rest of the game.
Hopefully, for her sake, it was worth it, as the Sixers earned a 109-97 win 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 wasted 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 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 Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
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 had 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 Wednesday, surprising 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 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, Pa., April 15, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
Sixers fans chanted “We want Boston!” in the waning moments, but it might be best to pay heed to series history. The 76ers have lost their last six playoff series against the Celtics. Philadelphia last topped Boston in a series in 1982.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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