CHICAGO — Jevon Carter last suited up as a member of the Bulls on Jan. 31, roughly two months ago.
Back inside United Center with the Magic on Friday night, the veteran guard helped Orlando win its fifth game in a row and remain in contention for a top-six playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. In the process, he got to assist in taking down the club that cut him more than halfway through the season while on its way to the NBA draft lottery.
“We need every win,” Carter said in the locker room. “You’re just trying to play the right way and help us get a win, but it was definitely fun being back, though, for sure.”
Orlando’s 24-point win, combined with Toronto’s loss to New York on Friday, kept alive the possibility the Magic could avoid the Play-In Tournament and earn a top-six spot in the NBA Playoffs on Sunday. But they’ll need help from an unlikely source.
If the No. 6 Raptors (45-36) lose to the Nets (20-61) on Sunday and the No. 7 Magic (45-36) beat the No. 2 Celtics (55-26) on the road, Orlando would finish sixth and Toronto seventh. If both the Raptors and Magic win, the postseason standings wouldn’t budge because Toronto won the regular-season series 2-1 over Orlando.
The Magic aren’t guaranteed the seventh seed yet, either. If the Magic fall at Boston and the 76ers beat the Bucks, Philadelphia would rise to seventh and Orlando would drop to eighth because the Sixers also won the clubs’ regular-season series 2-1. But if both the Magic and Sixers lose Sunday, Orlando would finish seventh and Philadelphia eighth.
It’s also worth noting that 61-loss Brooklyn clinched a top-three berth in the draft lottery Friday, meaning a win Sunday wouldn’t impact the Nets’ odds to land the No. 1 spot in June’s draft (14%).
Jevon Carter #2 of the Orlando Magic is fouled by Yuki Kawamura #8 of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on April 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Jevon Carter (2) of the Orlando Magic is fouled by Yuki Kawamura of the Chicago Bulls during the first half at the United Center on Friday, April 10, in Chicago. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Having the chance to reach the playoffs is part of the reason why Carter signed with Orlando. The game Friday was extra meaningful for him because he not only spent the better part of 2½ years with Chicago, but also grew up less an hour outside of the city in Maywood, Illinois.
“It was fun,” Carter said after his 29th appearance with the Magic. “I was more so just trying to get a team win than I was worried about myself individually because we’ve got high stakes right now.”
Sharing the ball helps fuel Magic winning streak
The Magic got the win over the Bulls by sticking to what’s worked best during Orlando’s five-game winning streak.
Jamahl Mosley‘s group successfully shared the ball by dishing out 33 assists and defended at a high level in spurts by scoring 28 points off 20 takeaways.
In the past five games that the Magic have won by an average of 13.4 points, they’ve recorded 31.2 assists per night (fifth-most league-wide in that stretch) and scored 24.8 points off turnovers (the most in the NBA).
“We seemed to do a good job moving it, playing with some pace on the offensive end,” said Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who knocked down four 3-pointers in the third quarter of the 24-point win. “Not just transition pace, but just pace (in the halfcourt) and actions, movements, letting the ball pop.
“And then we finally dug in, locked in and got stops,” he added. “That’s what fueled the run. We talked about pushing (the lead) to 10-20 at half. We did that. … I thought it was a well-executed second half.”
Suggs (12 points) was one of six scorers to finish in double figures for the Magic, who improved to 19-9 this season when six-or-more players score in double digits. Franz Wagner led the way with 25 points in 23 minutes.
“We have figured a little bit better rhythm and flow to our offense, especially,” Wagner said. “That helps our defense in a lot of ways. It gives us a lot more confidence when shots maybe aren’t falling or the other team goes on a run that we know what buttons to push to find (our way) back to our game. That’s been a lot better these last couple of games.”
Implications for hosting Play-In game
While avoiding the Play-In altogether is the goal, hosting the Nos. 7-8 game of the postseason tournament could be crucial, too. Home teams in the 7 vs. 8 game have gone 8-2 since 2021. The Magic clinched the No. 7 seed in the playoffs last year by handling the No. 8 Hawks inside Kia Center.
The Celtics will be managing their roster Sunday because Boston clinched the No. 2 seed in the East on Friday.
Jayson Tatum (right Achilles repair management), Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendinitis), Derrick White (right knee bruise) and Neemias Queta (right toe sprain) are all out.
Payton Pritchard (left foot plantar fasciitis), Sam Houser (low back spasm) and former Magic center Nikola Vucevic (right ring finger fracture management) are doubtful to play.
Regardless of who’s available, the Magic are aware they still have to earn a road win over a team that’s 29-11 at TD Garden this season.
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to handle our business,” Suggs said about the possibility of Boston adjusting its lineup with nothing on the line. “We’ve got to continue doing the things we’ve been doing: Move the ball, have fun with the game, stay intentional about what we’re working for and what we’re getting ready to step into. And then whatever shakes out, shakes out, and that’ll be that.
“It’s more important to focus on what we’ve got going on and what we’re working towards.”
Injury report: Roster help might be on the way
Some help with roster depth could be on the way, too. The Magic upgraded both Jonathan Isaac (left knee sprain) and Jett Howard (left ankle sprain) to questionable on the team’s initial injury report for Sunday’s game.
Isaac has missed the last 16 games while Howard the past four.
Mosley outlined what he wants to see from his team in the final game of the regular season.
“The way we’ve been sharing it, that’s big,” the Magic coach said. “We’ve been doing a great job of that. Can we take care of it against a great defensive Boston team and how do we guard them?
“We’ve got to make sure the game plan is tight and our communication at a high level.”