Orlando Magic Grades: Philadelphia 76ers 116, Orlando Magic 115
The Orlando Magic showed plenty of fight in coming back and nearly stealing a game from the Philadelphia 76ers. But they left one on the board.
93. Final. 115. 38. 116
The Orlando Magic made one thing clear throughout their game Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers — they were not going to go down without a fight.
That feels like an obvious thing but coming off a 30-plus-point loss and knowing where the Magic have been, that is not always a given.
It would have been easy to give up after the Magic lost a 16-point first quarter lead (building that alone was a signal of the team’s fight). It would have been easy to give up after falling behind by 13 points in the second quarter behind a barrage of 3-pointers from J.J. Redick and T.J. McConnell. They could have given up after Joel Embiid put up 21 of his 32 points in the first half.
But there the Magic were within two points with 90 seconds to play and scrambling to get a shot up before the shot clock expired. Nikola Vucevic‘s reset pass was deflected to the backcourt. Terrence Ross picked it up, took a quick look at the clock, crossed half court and heaved it toward the rim.
It went in and the Magic found themselves in the lead and ready to score an early-season upset.
Redick would come back and drain a 3-pointer off a two-man game with Embiid with 16 seconds left to give the 76ers a two-point lead again. J.J. Redick got Terrence Ross caught on an Joel Embiid screen and the Magic could not close to protect the 3-point line — Redick firing quickly.
But Orlando still had a chance to win. And kept giving itself chances to win.
Aaron Gordon split his free throws, but he and Nikola Vucevic fought for the rebound, earning a jump ball. After a time when Vucevic won the tip, the Magic had their chance to design a play to get the win with four seconds left.
They found Ross coming around a curl toward the inbounder and he fired a 3-pointer. It was a clean look, but it missed short and the 76ers would escape with a hard-fought 116-115 win at Wells Fargo Center.
A bit short for the Magic. One where they could point to things they clearly did that cost them the game in the end.
There was the lax defense and lack of focus in the second quarter that allowed the 76ers to build the lead. There was Aaron Gordon’s missed free throw and the 14 turnovers that seemed to lead to easy Philadelphia opportunities.
The big takeaway was the Magic were able to overcome all these and give themselves a chance. But that they still have a lot to clean up to be the team they can be.
NIKOLA VUCEVIC. A-. Nikola Vucevic continues to be something of a scapegoat for Magic Twitter, but his play suggests something completely different. He has his flaws and faults that are well documents, but there is no denying his critical role for this team. And that was abundantly clear in this game where he was the constant source of offense and fulcrum for the team as a whole.<p>Vucevic recorded his second career triple-double, scoring 27 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. The whole stat line was a sign of just how impressive he was. The Magic used him the way they should, feeding him the ball in the post and letting players cut around him. Vucevic was smart and aggressive enough to find whoever was open. And Orlando needs to continue moving and using cuts to get open.</p><p>Nikola Vucevic was largely not in when Joel Embiid went on his tear. The whole team had a big issue sticking with Embiid on pick and pops especially as the All-Star big man found his rhythm from the field for the first time all year. Vucevic certainly still leaves something to be desired on defense. But his offensive importance is outweighing that some for now. Vucevic is playing some inspired basketball.</p>. C. Orlando Magic
B+. <a href=. G/F. Orlando Magic. EVAN FOURNIER
B+. Aaron Gordon bounced back offensively from his poor performance Friday night. He scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting and missed his only 3-point look (an open one at that). That level of efficiency is vital to his ultimate success. And Gordon still has to avoid settling for mid-range jumpers and find a way to get to the basket more effectively. He got fouled on the final play, but with J.J. Redick switched on him, Gordon could have taken it out of the foul line or gotten closer to the basket.<p>That is a small quibble. Gordon once again had a strong two-way game and continues to look like a refreshed player on the defensive end. Gordon again put in a strong rebounding performance with 12 boards. He again scrapped for rebounds outside of his area and fought everywhere he could to get on the glass. His defense early on against <a href=. F. Orlando Magic. AARON GORDON
D. The Orlando Magic made their first rotation change of the season with <a href=. PG. Orlando Magic. JERIAN GRANT
2-1. 6th East. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS. B. The Philadelphia 76ers got blitzed early on as the Orlando Magic seemed to surprise them with their energy and movement. Orlando’s size seemed to give Philadelphia a few problems too. But the 76ers’ bench came alive and retook the energy. For a while it looked like the Magic were going to get blown out as the 76ers laid a big punch.<p>Philadelphia’s defense is not ratcheted up to full bore. And the 76ers seemed to get staggered some offensively with Ben Simmons leaving the game in the first quarter with a back injury. Orlando was much more focused defensively at least early on.</p><p>But the 76ers know they have enough to withstand some moments of poor focus against a team like the Magic. They hit a ton of 3-pointers and had their pet plays working at their best capacity in crunch time. The Magic were no match.</p>
Next. Orlando Magic Daily Roundtable: Preseason predictions. dark
The Orlando Magic next head to Boston to take on the Boston Celtics on Monday.