ORLANDO, Fla. — A roller coaster of a season comes down to this for the Orlando Magic. Win and you’re in.

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The Magic started the season red-hot. Even after early season injuries to super-star Paolo Banchero and fellow front-court mate Franz Wagner, Orlando looked to be holding it together thanks to head coach Jamal Mosley’s handling of the roster. But talks of a coach of the year award feel like so long ago, especially after a 4-11 January and a 5-game losing streak to end February into March.

But the return of Paolo and then Franz to playing shape and a settling of the playing rotation led to more of the performances that Magic fans became accustomed to after last seasons run. Strong defense, the Magic lead the league in defensive points allowed, and a streaky offense has lead them so far in April to a 4-1 record and a 41-41 season record, clinching the Southeastern Division and the 7 seed. That doesn’t necessarily mean the playoffs though.

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The NBA introduced the Play-In tournament back in 2020 during the infamous “bubble” and it stuck. The tournament decides the final 2 playoff spots by pitting the 7-10 seeds against one another. The 7 and 8 seed play for the first spot, they slot in against the 2 seed in the first round of the playoffs. The loser then plays the winner of the 9 and 10 seed game for the final spot. Winner of that secondary matchup takes on the 1 seed in the first round. This will be Orlando’s first time playing in the tournament.

READ: Play-in time: Magic-Hawks, Warriors-Grizzlies on Tuesday, Bulls-Heat and Kings-Mavs on Wednesday

Tip-off for tonight’s game at the Kia Center is scheduled for 7:30pm and will air on TNT.

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