We now know who will be the seventh seeds in the 2025 National Basketball Association playoffs. The Orlando Magic will be the seventh seed in the East and the Golden State Warriors will be the seventh seed in the West.
The Magic clobbered the Atlanta Hawks 120-95 and will now play the Boston Celtics in the postseason. On Tuesday, Orlando jumped out to a significant 57-35 lead with three minutes and 22 seconds left in the first half, only to see Atlanta march back with a 33-14 run to pull within a single basket. From there the Magic dominated play again, as they outscored the Hawks 49-27.
Five Magic players reached double digits in points. Point guard Cole Anthony of Portland, Oregon had 26 points, center Wendell Clark Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia had 19 points, power forward and former number one pick Paolo Banchero of Seattle, Washington had 17 points, point guard Anthony Black of Duncanville, Texas had 16 points, and small forward Franz Wagner of Berlin, Germany had 13 points. Wagner had the double double as he added 13 rebounds.
The Warriors were involved in a more challenging contest on Tuesday. They just got by the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116. With less than two minutes left, Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry of Akron, Ohio made two key three-pointers from 24 and 26 feet in clutch time. With the win, the Warriors will next play the Houston Rockets in the first round.
Despite Curry coming up big late in the fourth quarter, it was forward Jimmy Butler of Houston, Texas, who led the Warriors in scoring with 38 points. That was the most number of points Butler had with the Warriors in a game since being traded from the Miami Heat on February 6. Curry finished with 37 points.
