The Sixers battled back in a game that had them trail by as many as 29, but they were unable to eek out a win against the Orlando Magic.
The Orlando Magic beat the Sixers 130-116 Sunday night, extending their losing streak to eight games with the loss. The game seemed to be summed up on the opening tip when rookie Mario Hezonja swooped in and scored seconds into the game. Orlando jumped out to a huge first quarter lead, including an 11-0 run to start things, that they held for all 48 minutes. However, the Sixers made two very impressive runs with unconventional lineups to make the game close.
The first quarter was bleak, they did not make a field goal until the nine minute mark, and Orlando scored at will. They hit a little bit higher than 62 percent of the shots they took. The Sixers did not seem to have an answer outside of the ever dependable Jahlil Okafor. The quarter ended with the Magic scoring 40 points and leading by 14.
The second quarter and the first half of the third yielded similar results, but the tides turned when Brett Brown went with a three guard line up. With six minutes to go in the third, they went on an 18-4 run. The offense continued to click and there was a heightened effort on the defensive end.
They made another improbable 17-2 run in the fourth to draw within nine, but it was not enough and the Magic pulled away at the end. They fought hard in a game in which they were trailing by extremely large amounts.
The Sixers had seven players in double figures and they were led by none other than Okafor who had 26 going 12-18 from the field. Also, they shot free-throws very well going 29-37 (.784) as a team. They turned the ball over 17 times which did not help slow down the Magic’s high powered offense.
The Magic had some interesting numbers as well. They had three players scoring at least 20 points, and they had seven players reach double figures. They shot the ball extremely well for the large majority of the game ending at exactly 57 percent from the field.
The Sixers look to snap their losing streak when they travel to the Verizon Center to take on the Washington Wizards tomorrow at 7 pm.
