Two victories in a single day? Impressive! Not in this metropolis.
The Sixers were defeated by the Orlando Magic 104-99 on Sunday night, in case you were occupied.
With 29 points on 7-of-19 shooting and 3-of-9 from beyond the arc, Tyrese Maxey topped all scorers. He was also perfect from the charity stripe.
Just under three minutes before halftime, Paul George fouled out after another impressive second half in which he scored 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting. Just two other Sixers, Kelly Oubre Jr. and Eric Gordon, scored in double figures. Cole Anthony scored 27 points to lead the Magic.
Caleb Martin was also declared out due to right groin discomfort, and Joel Embiid missed his fourth consecutive game as well.
Presented here are a few ideas at the buzzer.
Initial Report Period
The Magic ripped off an 8-0 run in the first minutes thanks to two turnovers. Once after a terrific Maxey and-1, and again after Gordon drew a foul while leading by three, the Sixers reached the line. Maxey, too, survived an early scare with a hand injury and continued to play.
Although the Magic only committed three early turnovers, the Sixers were able to score on each of those opportunities. Even though scoring remained elusive, Maxey excelled at attracting contact. He made five free throws in the first quarter, accounting for five of his ten points.
Only one field goal—a dunk by Paolo Banchero—was made in the final 4 minutes and twenty-four seconds of the quarter, further demonstrating that the defences of both teams are superior to their offences. Even though it was a very sloppy finish, the Sixers were only down three points after the first quarter.
The Q2
In theory, the offence should have it simpler with Guerschon Yabusele on the second unit alongside PG. They continued to use Reggie Jackson and Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a regular basis in practice for pick-and-rolls. With a return to the starting lineup, Justin Edwards scored the game’s opening two points.
Anthony, on the other hand, was having no trouble scoring; he had 20 points at halftime after making eight of his first nine shots. The Sixers did get a couple early deflections, but they weren’t creating many turnovers.
For most of the half, Orlando controlled the ball well; however, the Sixers scored back when they freed up two additional thefts. Philly pulled within one point at halftime on to Maxey’s three-pointer, but it was all she needed.
Quarter Three
The Sixers were able to stay in the game thanks to their Magic turnovers, but they were clearly not handling the ball well. The Magic didn’t have to exert much effort to get any of their first five possessions of the half before they turned the ball over.
The Sixers finally found their groove after they stopped committing turnovers. Gordon had a great run, George made a few jump shots, and Yabu’s post dump was successful.
The offence began to hinge on PG’s pull-ups, even if he kept making shots. The Sixers established a four-point lead thanks to his 11 points in the fourth.
Quarter Four
Maxey started the quarter with the bench unit this time. The game got off to a good start as Yabusele scored a reverse layup and Edwards rescued a possession with a runner. However, even with that small-ball team, it was difficult to prevent Orlando from scoring on the offensive glass throughout the game.
Maxey didn’t get his second-half scoring going until the middle of the fourth. Despite drawing a foul, he clashed with the hand he injured in the first half. Gordon and George ended a four-minute drought without a field goal and extended the lead with two three-pointers apiece.
Foul trouble has been a problem for PG throughout the past ten games. Tonight, it became a major issue when, just two minutes and forty-nine seconds after retaking the lead with a pull-up three, he scored his sixth. George must not be pulling himself out of games like this, especially since Embiid is suffering with an illness.
Due to a foul call by Banchero after a double team, the Magic were able to regain the lead. Maxey responded with a three-pointer after they had a four-point lead thanks to a series of free throws. In response, Banchero made an elbow jumper off of yet another offensive rebound, and Maxey’s effort to pull even was unsuccessful. Even though it was a tough game, the Sixers still lost a game they had a chance to win.
A lot of work remains. The Sixers host the Thunder on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ET as part of a back-to-back midweek homestand.
