Magic Unable to Slow Down Sixers in Rematch Between Shorthanded Teams

The Lead

Paolo Banchero recorded 18 points, Franz Wagner scored 17 and Moe Wagner – playing in his second game of the season – had 12, but the Orlando Magic struggled to contain the Philadelphia 76ers during their 133-103 loss in a matchup between two injury-riddled teams on Sunday at Amway Center.

Key Stretch

The Sixers went from down one with half-a-minute left in the first quarter to up 11 just three minutes into the second. During that Philly 14-2 run, Georges Niang made all three of his shots, Furkan Korkmaz and Shake Milton each drilled 3-pointers and Paul Reed slammed home a dunk.

Interesting Stat

Philly shot 64.9 percent from the field, tied for the highest field goal percentage ever against Orlando. Even stranger, the Sixers made 50 of their 77 shot attempts, which was the same makes to attempts ratio that the San Antonio Spurs had when they set the record on Dec. 19, 2018.

Key Stats

The Sixers outscored the Magic by 28 in the paint. They also had 10 more fast break points. Although the Magic made one more 3-pointer than the Sixers, Philly shot nearly 11 percent better from beyond the arc.

Injury Report

Wendell Carter Jr. (right plantar fascia strain), Jalen Suggs (right ankle soreness), Chuma Okeke (left knee soreness), Cole Anthony (right internal oblique muscle injury), Markelle Fultz (toe), and Jonathan Isaac (left knee rehabilitation) were out for the Magic. Mo Bamba left the game with back spasms and didn’t return after starting and playing 12 minutes. Terrence Ross, questionable coming into the game with an illness, played eight minutes before exiting. Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey were all out with foot injuries for the 76ers, while Matisse Thybulle (ankle) and Jaden Springer (quadriceps) were also out. P.J. Tucker exited with a sore left ankle after playing 16 minutes.

In the News

The Magic will soon have a new inductee into their organization’s Hall of Fame. Magic CEO Alex Martins appeared on NBA TV’s pregame show on Saturday night to tell Dennis Scott, Orlando’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, that he will be the 12^th inductee, joining the late Rich DeVos, Pat Williams, Jimmy Hewitt, Nick Anderson, Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Tracy McGrady, David Steele, Darrell Armstrong, John Gabriel, and Brian Hill.

Quote of the Day

“Dennis still remains one of the elite, long-range shooters in both Orlando Magic and NBA history. His ability to shoot from beyond the three-point arc was a major key to our success during his time in Orlando and his records stand to this day. We are proud to make Dennis the next inductee into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.” – Martins

This Day in History

Sunday marked the third time in Magic history that they played the Sixers in Orlando on a Nov. 27. One of those other instances was in 2004, when Grant Hill erupted for 29 points and Steve Francis scored 26 in the Magic’s victory over Philadelphia. Allen Iverson led the Sixers with 27 points and 10 assists, while Andre Iguodala – then just a rookie – scored 15.

Rivals Report

We can’t properly assess the Sixers until they have Embiid, Harden, and Maxey together for a longer stretch. Their defense has been very good, though. That’s normally a prerequisite to win the title, or at least make the Finals. Since the mid-90s, very few teams won the championship without having a top-eight defensive team. It’s too early in the season to come to any conclusions about any one team, but what’s interesting is the Bucks, Cavs and Sixers all rank in the top four in defense, while the Celtics – the defending Eastern Conference champs – rank 16^th in defense. Boston does have the league’s No. 1 offense.

Up Next

Unusual for the Magic, but they hopped on a flight right after Sunday’s game and will head to New York where they will take on the Brooklyn Nets on Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET. It’s been quite a turbulent start to the season for the Nets, with a coaching change and a Kyrie Irving suspension at the top of the storylines list. Now with former Magic head coach Jacque Vaughn at the helm, Brooklyn is still trying to figure this whole thing out. The good news is that Kevin Durant is still playing at an A+ level and Ben Simmons has looked way more confident lately.