PHILADELPHIA, PA — After suffering a narrow loss to the Orlando Magic Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers found themselves once again facing the same team at home Friday night. With a chance to redeem themselves, the Sixers would welcome back Paul George, Andre Drummond, and Kyle Lowry to the court.
All three would lift the Sixers on Friday night, but the game’s MVP was an unlikely source, once thought to be little more than a human trade exception.
KJ Martin provides a needed spark
The entire game was a bit of a slog, but KJ Martin stood out as an electric difference-maker. Scoring 20 points, the most he has in a Sixers uniform, Martin was seeming around the rim constantly, ready for the quick pass, putback, or even occasional alley-oop.
Martin’s success was especially crucial defensively against Magic star Franz Wagner, especially after Caleb Martin suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter. Martin would exit the game after attempting to come back in the second half, but Sixers’ head coach Nick Nurse chalked that up to more the performance of the rest of the team rather than the severity of Martin’s injury.
Tyrese Maxey‘s struggles continue
Admittedly, there are few NBA matchups as poor for Tyrese Maxey as the Orlando Magic. One of the league’s top defensive teams, the Magic also boast a major size advantage on not just the entire Sixers team but specifically against Maxey.
Between Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and the dearth of lengthy paint defenders Orlando deploys, it’s not an easy task for a guard who relies on working his way into the paint, at least when he’s unable to rely on the space Joel Embiid creates for him on the perimeter.
Maxey finished the evening just 1-7 from three and 5-17 from the field with two assists. The Sixers cannot afford for Tyrese Maxey to become gun-shy. However, he should embrace the opportunity to facilitate more as he continues to work through these shooting woes.
Up next for the Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers have now shockingly won three of their last four games. They will take that momentum and, with it, travel West for a matchup against Nikola Vucevic and the Chicago Bulls. Chicago currently sits in a play-in spot, which is somewhat surprising, as the team lost both DeMar DeRozan and Alex Caruso this offseason.
Vucevis and Zach LaVine have been crucial to the team’s moderate success and will challenge Philadelphia’s defense, though the Sixers have proven capable defensively themselves.
Tipoff is at 1 p.m., and you can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. As always, you can also listen live at 97.5 F.M. the Fanatic.
