After a loss to the NBA-worst Bucks on Monday, the Sixers had one last chance to get a win in February, playing host to the Magic, who are also in rebuild mode. The game featured two Rookie of the Year Candidates in Michael Carter-Williams and Victor Oladipo. Unfortunately, Carter-Williams struggled to find his game all night as the Sixers lost their 12th straight game, 101-90. The teams were tied after three quarters, but the Magic took control in the fourth to help snap their 16-game road losing streak.
The first quarter showed the teams getting a feel for each other, both trading shots throughout. The Sixers took the early lead behind Henry Sims, who had four points and three rebounds in just over six minutes played in the first. The Sixers took an early six point lead, 13-7, after a James Anderson three-pointer but the Magic answered with an 8-0 run to take the lead. The teams stood deadlocked at 15 a piece and the Sixers edged ahead thanks to a few made free throws from Tony Wroten. After one the Sixers were leading the Magic, 22-19, despite shooting 29.2% from the floor. Then again, the Magic only shot 31.8%.
The Sixers shot better in the second quarter but still could not find a way to extend the lead by much. With 6:01 to go in the half, the Sixers led 36-33 and then both teams went scoreless for over two-and-a-half minutes before James Anderson connected with Thaddeus Young for an alley-oop, putting the Sixers up by five. Philadelphia extended their lead to seven after a James Anderson layup, but the Magic came back to cut the lead to four at half. Neither team scored a point in the final 47 seconds of the half, with the Sixers ahead 44-40.
Hollis Thompson of the Sixers came out shooting in the third, draining two shots from three-point range, extending the Sixers lead to eight. That would not last for long as the Magic scored 11 straight points to take the lead, 51-50. A shot by former Sixer Nik Vucevic made the score 61-56 Magic with just over five minutes to go in the third. The Magic pulled away to a seven point lead before the Sixers came back to tie things at 67 at the end of three.
The Sixers were outshot in the final quarter, as the Magic's hot shooting was too much to handle. Orlando shot 66.7% from the floor in the final stanza and went 5-for-8 from three-point range. Former St. Joe's standout Jameer Nelson sealed the Magix victory with 12 points in the fourth. Thaddeus Young went just 2-for-8.
The Sixers could never quite pull away from Orlando, despite holding leads as large as eight. They were outrebounded by the Magic 55-42 and struggled mightily from beyond the arc. Thad led all Sixers scorers with 19 (7-18FG) while Tony Wroten scored 15 off the bench. Newly-acquired Eric Maynor also had a strong night off of the bench, tallying 13 points (5-6FG), four rebounds and two assists. Michael Carter-Williams couldn't find his game, shooting 3-for-13 from the floor for eight points. MCW also grabbed six boards and dished out four assists. The Sixers starting backcourt, between MCW and James Anderson, were a combined 6-for-24. Big-man Byron Mullens had another rough night, shooting 3-for-11.
On the other side, the Magic were led by Nik Vucevic, who scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. You bet the Sixers would have liked him to be a part of their rebuild process. Rookie Victor Oladipo also got himself a double-double, with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jameer Nelson, another Orlando player with a double-double, contributed with 16 points and 12 assists.
Up next, the Sixers welcome the Washington Wizards to town on Saturday, March 1st. Tip-off is set for 7:30PM. The Wizards have taken two out of three from the Sixers this season.
Brandon Apter is a contributor to Sixerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @ApterShock
