On Friday night, the Orlando Magic were preparing to tip-off against an eastern conference foe, the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers had arrived into town coming off a defeat against the Charlotte Hornets. The opposing squad was plagued with injuries as their main bunch such as Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Tyrese Maxey remained sidelined. As for the Magic, they were dealing with various players sidelined: Wendell Carter Jr., who has provided valuable minutes for the team, Terrence Ross, and Chuma Okeke. Fortunately enough, there was a little glimmer of hope as Paolo Banchero made his return to the lineup after a seven game hiatus due to a sprained ankle. The addition of Banchero would certainly improve the odds of the Magic winning as the rookie is currently averaging 23.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. All things considered, it seemed as if the Magic would have the upper hand in this matchup.
Quick Head Start
From the first half, everything seemed going right for the Magic as Bol Bol closed out the half scoring 15 of his 18 points on efficient 7 for 8 shooting from that half alone. As for the rest of the squad, Franz Wagner totaled for 10 points, while the star rookie struggled to find his rhythm early on with 8 points coming off of 2 for 7 shooting. Tobias Harris led his respective Philly squad with 14 first half points while receiving help with De’Anthony Melton’s 13 points, and Shake Milton’s 12. Both squads were also shooting quite efficiently as they were shooting near the 50% mark in total field goal.
Stagnant Third
With the start of the new half it felt inevitable that the Magic would be able to run away with this game. However, that was not the case as the 76ers came out swinging with a 21-9 run. The run was sparked by none other than Tobias Harris, Montrezl Harrell, and Shake Milton. The third quarter concluded with the 76ers outscoring the home team 30-20, ultimately finding themselves with the lead heading into the fourth.
Short Fourth
The final quarter of this ball game had both teams throwing punches at each other but the 76ers resiliency proved to be too much for the Magic to overcome. Every time the Magic were able to make a run and gain momentum, the 76ers had responded. Their response included Georges Niang hitting key threes and Montrezl Harrell battling down low which had essentially grasped the life that was left from this young Orlando squad. The final score was 107-99 with the city of brotherly love pulling away.
What’s Next?
The Philadelphia 76ers will remain in town for another meeting with the Magic. The 76ers proved to be quite an impressive team even without their star players for the first go around. Currently on the season Philadelphia is averaging 108.6ppg while giving up 106.6ppg, making them one of the elite defenses throughout the NBA. As a result, this eastern conference rival finds themselves as the sixth seed in the loaded conference with a record of 10-9.
Highlights
For more News about the Orlando Magic visit www.orlandomagic.com
For more sports coverage from MLB, NBA, NFL, to NCAA contact Julian Ojeda at 786-501-9082 or via email
Be the first to comment