The Philadelphia 76ers lost another road matchup this Sunday, this time to the Orlando Magic by a final score of 104-99. Both teams entered the game decimated by injuries as the Sixers were once again down Joel Embiid, who continues to recover from his foot sprain. They were also down Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Andre Drummond, and, of course, Jared McCain.
Meanwhile, the Magic had both Paolo Banchero and Tristan da Silva available to start. Banchero was on a minutes restriction in just his second game back from a right oblique tear, and da Silva (illness) exited the game after just one minute of play. Orlando was also down Jalen Suggs (back), Gary Harris (hamstring), Franz Wagner (oblique), Mo Wagner (ACL) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (knee). Goga Bitadze (hip) also saw just 12 minutes of limited action.
A barrage of turnovers marked the game as both teams had 16, which in part led to nearly constant lead changes in the second half. But the Sixers’ shooting problems continued. Paul George shot just four of ten in the first half, many of them heavily contested jumpers when the Sixers otherwise failed to make a play.
To PG’s credit, he did improve in the second half and ended the night a solid 10-20 from the field, including five of eight from deep. But he still had multiple missed layups that could have kept the Sixers on top, and after fouling out with less than two minutes to go, Philadelphia couldn’t pull it off down the stretch.
Tyrese Maxey led all scorers with 29 points plus five assists. But his shooting was inefficient, making just seven of 19 shots, including three of nine from beyond the arc. Inconsistency is something Maxey’s been grappling with all year, and as frustrating as it can be for Sixers fans, it does somewhat make sense. Between Maxey being an All-Star last season and Embiid being heavily load-managed, teams are not only just contending with Maxey – they’re actively game-planning around him to force turnovers (he had six) and contested shots.
For Orlando’s part, the Magic were led by Cole Anthony’s lights-out shooting – the 24-year-old put up 27 points, going 11-17. Banchero and Jonathan Isaac each added 20 of their own, with the young Anthony Black adding 17 points – tying his third-highest performance of the season.
Like many Sixers losses, there were a couple of bright spots within the bigger problems. Philadelphia got a flash of vintage Eric Gordon tonight, who stepped in as a starter and put up 14 points and four rebounds on just four of six shooting. And while Guerschon Yabusele has his struggles at center—he’s not an ideal matchup to box out a 6’10” Jonathan Isaac—he still brings his signature effort and athleticism to a team that desperately needs it. Even Justin Edwards quietly had some nice shots, adding 7 points off 3-5 shooting.
However, the Sixers’ core issues of constant injuries, rotation changes, and resulting playmaking and shooting difficulties remain. They’ll look to right the ship again Tuesday night at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
