It took six weeks, but the Philadelphia 76ers have finally experienced the joy of winning back-to-back games.
The Sixers will aim for their third consecutive victory on Wednesday night when they host the Orlando Magic for the first of two games this week.
Fatigue could be a factor for both teams. The Sixers are playing without Joel Embiid (knee) and are traveling back north after a game in Charlotte on Tuesday night.
The Magic, meanwhile, are returning from a five-day trip to New York—without injured star forward Paolo Banchero (oblique)—and are also playing in different cities on back-to-back nights.
Before losing by 15 points to the Knicks on Tuesday, the Magic had won six straight games. Their last two victories in that streak were road wins over the Brooklyn Nets, where they allowed an average of just 96 points per game.
However, they gave up 121 points against the Knicks, their most since the third game of the season. The Magic allowed New York to shoot over 50 percent from the field and nearly 43 percent from the three-point line, while also committing 16 turnovers.
Franz Wagner led Orlando with 30 points and six assists, bouncing back from a rough 4-of-17 shooting performance against Brooklyn on Sunday.
As for the Sixers, they’ve struggled without Embiid, who continues to deal with knee soreness.
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse mentioned that it’s unlikely the former MVP will be available Wednesday.
Fortunately, Nurse has two other All-Star talents in Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. Maxey scored the Sixers’ final 11 points in Tuesday’s 110-104 win at Charlotte, helping secure their fifth win in 19 games this season.
George matched his season high with 29 points after averaging just 11 points over the previous four games.
The Sixers and Magic previously met on November 15 in Orlando, where Wagner’s 31 points led the hosts to a 98-86 victory. The teams will face off again on Friday night in Philadelphia.
