The NBA Play-In Tournament heats up tonight as the Orlando Magic travel to face the Philadelphia 76ers in a high-stakes elimination game. With superstar Joel Embiid once again sidelined for Philadelphia, the dynamics of this matchup shift significantly, opening up intriguing opportunities in the player prop markets.

All eyes will be on Tyrese Maxey, who has shouldered the offensive load for the Sixers all season, averaging 28.3 points and 6.6 assists. However, his playmaking numbers tell a fascinating story. In 35 games with Embiid, Maxey averaged a robust 7.5 assists per game. Without the dominant big man, that figure dips to 5.7. Facing a Magic defense that ranks eighth in limiting assists (25.3 per game), and considering Maxey has recorded five assists or fewer in four of his last five outings, the data suggests his assist total could be contained tonight.

With Embiid out, rebounding becomes a critical area to watch. Orlando's backup center, Goga Bitadze, has seen his role and production surge late in the season. He has pulled down 7 or more rebounds in four of his last five games, averaging 9.0 boards over that stretch. This aligns perfectly with a Philadelphia weakness; the Sixers rank 22nd in rebounds allowed per game (45.3), a number that has climbed to 47.0 over the past month without their anchor in the paint.

Philadelphia's defensive scheme without Embiid often packs the paint, which has led to them allowing a barrage of three-point attempts—40.2 per game since the All-Star break, the third-highest rate in the league. This sets the stage for Orlando's Jalen Suggs to shine from beyond the arc. Suggs has been the Magic's most consistent deep threat, hitting 2.6 threes per game over his last 20 contests at a 36.4% clip. He's coming off a red-hot performance with seven triples and has cleared the 2.5 three-pointer mark in five of his last six games, making him a prime candidate to capitalize on Philadelphia's perimeter defense.