By: Kylan Watson

The Philadelphia 76ers were looking to rebound after being beaten by the Washington Wizards on Monday afternoon. Philly faced the Orlando Magic who were looking to redeem themselves after losing to the Sixers earlier in the month. Philly was able to use an offensive explosion to destroy the Magic 123-110.

The game started out well for Philly. They were able to hit their shots early. Most of those shots were made by Joel Embiid. He scored 20 of his 50-points (Tied a career high,) by the end of the first quarter. The team needed those points as everyone else on the team could not hit their shots. Embiid continues to be the guiding light and saving grace of this team. This was one of the games where he had to put the team on his back. Other players will need to step up especially during this easier stretch of the Sixers schedule as they head into the All-Star break.

On Embiid’s performance, “I was a fan… It was amazing to watch,” said Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.

Despite the offensive explosion from Embiid. The Magic weathered the early storm and took the lead back thanks to Mo Bamba. He scored 32-points a career high for him and hit seven three-pointers. He torched Philly from beyond the arc, and made them pay for daring to leave him open.  He single-handedly powered them to a 10-point half-time lead. They were threatening to blow Philly off the floor.

The Sixers were able to turn the heat up on defense and stifle Magic’s offense in the second-half.  Then the rest of the squad came alive. Tobias Harris scored 21-points and steadied the offense in the second half to give Embiid some support. Harris continues to be a pivotal part of this Sixers team. He is the second best player of the team and they need him to continue to play like he did tonight if they want to continue rocketing up the Eastern Conference standings.

Philly now will prepare for the  Kawhi and George-less Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. They will need another balanced scoring night and a great defensive performance to stifle the offensive attack of the Clippers. If they want to get their 27^th victory of the season.