By: Kylan Watson
After beating the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Orlando Magic for the third time this season. Thanks to a third quarter scoring explosion after a slow start in the first half the Sixers were able to pull this one out and beat Orlando 103-91 extending their win streak to two games with the win.
The Sixers started this game off very slowly and they could not make many shots throughout the first two quarters. Only making 33% of their field goals and 5.6% of their three-pointers in those quarters. Despite the early power outage, they were able to stay in the game until their offense finally woke up. Tyrese Maxey (29 points), Joel Embiid (22 points and grabbed 9 rebounds), and Paul George (18 points) combined for 69 of Philly’s 103 points. Orlando had no answers for the trio once they got it going especially Maxey and Embiid who continued to let the game come to them and did not force it too much in this contest. Philly’s “Big 3” continues to be effective with the more games they play together as a unit. Also, the Sixers should make it a priority to play the trio together in as many games as possible throughout the rest of this season.
The Magic are a team filled with lengthy defenders and Philly were able to keep their turnovers down and deny them multiple opportunities to score easy buckets. They forced them to be a half-court team and that is a major weakness for Orlando. They just could not make the Sixers pay for making them a jump shooting team and denying them paint touches in this game. Desmond Bane (23 points) and Anthony Black (21 points) combined for 44 of Orlando’s 91 points, the duo did all they could to keep Orlando in this contest. However, the Sixers were able to force them into taking more difficult shots and their teammates did not have it on the offensive end in the second half.
Additionally, Philly was able to keep Paolo Banchero in check in this game he scored (14 points) in this game but only converted 6/18 shot attempts because Philly threw multiple lengthy defenders at him. Those defenders forced him to take difficult shots and stopped him from really putting his stamp on this contest. That allowed the Sixers to retake the lead and secure a victory against a tough Magic squad.
Now that Kelly Oubre Jr, and Trendon Watford are back in the fold, the Sixers have one of the deepest rosters they have ever had in the Embiid and Maxey era. They now have multiple lengthy defenders to throw at the best scorer on the opposing team and can win games in multiple ways. The Sixers continue to improve their team chemistry and once they work out their rotations from game to game, they will be one of the most dangerous teams in the league.
Philly will now prepare for a two-game back-to-back series with the Toronto Raptors on Sunday and Monday. The Raptors are one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference and the Sixers will once again have to limit their turnovers, win the rebounding battle, stay connected to their defensive assignment, and cash in on the high-percentage scoring opportunities created from their ball movement. Implementing these things into their game plan on Sunday evening will put them in great shape to win their 22nd game of the season and extend their win streak to three games.
