Orlando Magic Grades: Philadelphia 76ers 128, Orlando Magic 117

The Orlando Magic were not concerned with the Lottery odds or what might happen in the Oklahoma City Thunder-LA Clippers game. Coach Steve Clifford said before the game that the team prepared as it always did for a game.

Yes, some players would not play, nor would they play their usual minutes. But this would be a game like any other.

At least, that is how the Magic wanted to treat the game. The Philadelphia 76ers had nothing to play for and sat all their key players. This was a game with little at stake for both sides.

Everyone just played free. And the Magic were going down swinging if this was their last game.

Cole Anthony was, at least. He scored 23 points in the first half, shaking off a poor first quarter and finding his way into the lane at will in a game that neither side seemed particularly interested in playing defense. Orlando went up by as much as eight points in the second quarter. The team threw the 76ers off by just enough.

Philadelphia got its own star turn from rookie Tyrese Maxey. And that carried over into the third quarter.

The Orlando Magic closed their season with a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers as they wrapped up the best odds to win the Lottery.

Orlando’s shooting, predictably, ran out. Anthony was scoring, but not efficiently and that eventually ran dry too as he slowed down in the third quarter. The 76ers retook the lead. And Orlando was never able to string together stops to get back into it.

Philadelphia ended Orlando’s season with a 128-117 win at Wells Fargo Center on Sunday night. Orlando put up a good fight with its undermanned roster but still did not have enough to get to the finis line.

They will end the season on a seven-game losing streak, disappointed perhaps they could not eke out one more win.

Fans will be happier the team once again put up a fight but fell short one final time. Their reward might well be a top pick thanks to the Thunder’s surprising win over the Clippers.

Maybe everything worked out exactly as it was supposed to.

Cole Anthony had a clear green light to shoot as many times as he wanted. Honestly, he might have quickly realized the Orlando Magic’s only chance to compete and maybe win was if he took over. The final game for Anthony in his eventful rookie season ended with 37 points on 10-for-25 shooting and eight rebounds. Anthony’s first half was stupendous as he got into the lane and just scored at will once it was clear he had to put the Magic on his shoulders.

Ever the perfectionist, Anthony said he was disappointed with his six turnovers. With how much he needed to score, he was still trying to make the right plays. Even if things were still a bit forced. No one should be too harsh on him in a game like this. Anthony displayed all the offensive skills that made him so promising throughout the season.

Mohamed Bamba is going to enter his offseason with a lot to work on. Bamba got more playing time than he ever got before and showed glimpses of why he was the sixth overall pick. But he did not exactly cement his place in the Magic future. There were still a lot of issues to sort through, even as he made incremental improvements. With a contract year next season, Bamba is down to his last chance to stick with the Magic, at least.

Bamba’s final game of the season was underwhelming, to say the least. He scored nine points on 3-for-10 shooting while just collecting six rebounds. He was trying to be active defensively but was largely and mostly ineffective. This was not a game representative of Bamba’s skills or potential.

For a two-way player, Chasson Randle did about all he could do. He may not be a player who will stick beyond that and he has some flaws that are tough to overcome. He is not a natural point guard. But he continues to fill in for key moments. He can hit shots at a decent enough rate. Randle is at least worthy of another two-way shot somewhere.

Randle played his final game of the season, scoring 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting. He played perfectly fine for this setting and this kind of game. The Magic can’t be too upset with what they got from him, especially considering how much more they had to rely on him than initially anticipated.

Donta Hall definitely took his chance with the Orlando Magic and ran with it. He is all energy and just needs the space to go flying around the basket and up and down the court. He got all of that in during this final game. He scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as he continued to make the most of this time.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ primary goal this game was to avoid injury. Check. They did not play any of their key players in the game with their top seed already wrapped up. Anyone with a little injury sat out. No reason to risk it.

Tyrese Maxey though gained plenty of confidence to build on for his first postseason. The rookie point guard had 30 points, six assists and seven rebounds. Orlando-native Paul Reed had 17 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. The 76ers just played with plenty of energy. That is all they could look for from their young squad.

The Magic finish the season at 21-51 and will have the top odds to win the Lottery as the third-worst team in the NBA.