The Philadelphia 76ers are in Orlando for a Sunday evening showdown with the Magic as they start a brutal portion of their schedule where they’ll be taking on some of the top teams in the league over the next seven games. The Magic, much like the Sixers, have been rocked by injuries throughout the season, having just recently returned Paolo Banchero to their lineup after missing the previous 34 games.
Sixers vs Magic game information
Who: Philadelphia 76ers (15-21) at Orlando Magic (22-18)
When: 6:00 pm EST
Where: Kia Center, Orlando Fl.
How To Watch: NBA League Pass, NBC Sports Philadelphia, Bally Sports Florida
Latest on the Sixers
The Sixers are a mess right now and there’s no other way to put it. They were last seen being beaten by the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, 123-115, at home. While Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr. both finished with more than 20 points, the team was led by Tyrese Maxey who score 30 points, but that wasn’t enough to get past a depleted Pelicans team.
You can put the blame for the Sixers performance this season on any number of reasons like injuries, lack of cohesion, new teammates getting adjusted, scheme, fit, etc. What it seemed like on Friday was that they were tired. With Guerschon Yabusele playing 31 minutes, that was the least of the starting group as the other all logged over 35 minutes with Maxey again playing over 40 minutes in the game. The short bench, didn’t work and head coach Nick Nurse didn’t seem to have the answers.
This season has been rough for a lot of reasons and for all of the players but Maxey seems to have been affected the most. Gone is the smile and energy that we’ve grown accustomed to seeing from him as he bounds around the court. While he’s leading the team in scoring, Maxey is having the worst shooting season of his short career. It just doesn’t seem that he’s getting many quality shots to drop. For the season, he is shooting 33.4% on his threes, which will be his lowest average in the past four years.
Latest on the Magic
The Magic will be happy to see the Sixers come to town as they’ve lost their past two games and need to find a win as they’ve dropped to fifth place in the Eastern Conference. The Magic did get some good news as Paolo Banchero returned to the lineup in Friday loss to the Bucks and 34 points in just 27 minutes on the floor. Banchero had missed 34 games before returning on Friday.
With the Magic, much like the Sixers, the injuries have been hurting the team. When they lost Banchero early in the season, Franz Wagner stepped up to show that he could also lead the team. The problem is that back in early December, the last game they played the Sixers, Wagner got injured and hasn’t been back. The Magic will also be without Gary Harris, Jalen Suggs, and Moe Wagner for the game tonight.
With the long list of injuries, the team will rely on Banchero getting more minutes and leading the team while players like Cole Anthony, Goga Bitadze, Tristan de Silva and Anthony Black can continue to chip in to round out the team and get them back in the win column.
What to watch for tonight
The Magic are fighting to avoid sliding further down the standings as they’re just a half game above the Heat and Pacers in the East. The Sixers will be looking for just about anything to go right for them as they desperately need a win to start off the toughest portion of their schedule to date.
The Sixers will need Yabusele and Caleb Martin to try and contain Banchero ,who has developed into one of the best young players in the league. Against the Magic, the team may need to have Adem Bona get some minutes, if for nothing more than energy, defense and the amount of fouls he can provide.
For the Sixers, the combination of Maxey and George did work well on Friday night as they shot 46.5% combined from the floor. While PG was 5-12 on his threes, Maxey was a dismal 2-9 and that’s sadly been the case for him throughout the season. If the Sixers are going to have a chance at winning this game, they’ll need to penetrate low and rely on pounding the ball against the Magic. If they continue to shoot threes at all points of the game, they’re going to continue to find themselves accumulating losses as they’re one of the worst shooting teams in the league.
Head Coach Nick Nurse is going to have to actually sit down and figure out how to manage this team with and without Joel Embiid because they don’t look very good right now and they surely don’t look like they have any direction throughout the games. The team relies on talent and it’s time that the coach puts his talents to use and figures out the best way to make it through the next seven games and the final 46 games of the season.
Also, Joel Embiid may or may not play tonight. He’s listed as questionable and I’m not sure if that’s in regards to his injuries or attitude.
Prediction
Sixers 111 – Magic 123
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
