Wednesday Jan. 20: vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Traditionally, as games go, there should not be one that teams look forward to more than the Philadelphia 76ers.
The recent years have not been kind to Philadelphia, and this current season started out much the same. Although in recent weeks, Philadelphia do seem to have at least made moves for the future.
They have hired old dogs in assistant coach Mike D’Antoni and veteran player Elton Brand, and traded for young guard Ish Smith.
The roster is not without talent. Nerlens Noel continues to develop as Jahil Okafor tries to get back in the rookie of the year race. That’s without mentioning Joel Embiid who is still injured on the bench.
The Magic squared off with the 76ers, in Philadelphia, all the way back in November, and earned themselves a nice win behind a very balanced scoring performance led by Elfrid Payton‘s 20 (this was also when Nikola Vucevic was out with injury).
The 76ers still own the worst record in the league with just five wins entering Monday’s games, and look like they will probably retain that honor for the rest of the year.
While the Magic might relish this game, especially as it is being played in Florida. Having said that, the Sixers are always hungry too, so the Magic really need to use this game to stamp down their authority and feel good about themselves.
Because the other option does not bare thinking about at this point.
Next: Another division opportunity