Orlando Magic Grades: Philadelphia 76ers 108, Orlando Magic 101

The Orlando Magic held the lead into the fourth quarter, but could not contain Joel Embiid and could not keep the Philadelphia 76ers off the glass.

The Orlando Magic had already watched their lead slip away. The deficit was growing and they were trying desperately to get back into the game. They knew they needed this game to keep up with the suddenly surging Brooklyn Nets. They knew they needed it for confidence against quality opponents.

They needed it to make the Playoffs on their own terms and by their own hand — the Washington Wizards’ loss later in the evening was award the Orlando Magic that playoff berth anyway.

Joel Embiid was putting the team away though. The Magic’s desperation was playing against them now. Their frustration was playing against them now. And the Philadelphia 76ers were putting the hammer down.

Joel Embiid put the hammer down spinning off Nikola Vucevic in the post and jamming it with two hands, hamming it up for the TNT cameras for good measure. That was the exclamation point on a fourth quarter that left the Magic a little glum and in a 108-101 defeat Friday.

Orlando led by two points entering the fourth quarter. But the team could not get much offensive movement in the final 12 minutes. They struggled to hit from outside and their missed shots led directly to big plays for the 76ers.

But bigger than that, they had no answer for Embiid. They tried doubling hard to dare the 76ers to shoot. But eventually, they lost their discipline.

They lost shooters, but worse, they fouled a ton. They reached and were late. Their precision and discipline to play their defense hurt them. The Sixers took 33 free throw attempts, Embiid taking 13 of them on his own.

Orlando was not playing its game. And those mistakes cost them in the end. It cost them down the stretch as the Magic’s shooting betrayed them yet again.

Coach Steve Clifford would say after the game that it was Joel Embiid’s star power that helped power the 76ers. they simply had someone who could get to his spots and overpower the Magic’s defense.

But that was not quite it. Yes, Embiid made plays down the stretch to give the 76ers cushion. And yes the Magic missed their share of solid and no-so-solid shot attempts to try to get it back.

It was the Magic’s poor defensive discipline and the constant mistakes — on both ends — that hurt the team late in the game. Orlando had control and let it slip.

Just like the team had control over seventh and now finds itself scrambling to achieve even that basic goal it set for itself.

The Orlando Magic are now 32-38 and have clinched a playoff spot. They trail the Brooklyn Nets by 1.5 games for seventh. The Orlando Magic will face the Boston Celtics on Sunday.