After falling short against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking to regroup for a rematch on Friday night at home.
Orlando kicked off their two-game visit to Philadelphia with a 106-102 victory. Franz Wagner led the charge with 35 points, and the Magic’s defense effectively limited Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey.
The Sixers were without two of their top players, Joel Embiid and Paul George, who were both resting their knees. This left coach Nick Nurse with just one All-Star on the court and a lineup of role players, many of whom are currently dealing with injuries.
Orlando also played without their star player, Paolo Banchero, who is out with an oblique injury. Despite this, the Magic capitalized on Wagner’s seventh 30-point game of the season to secure their seventh win in the last eight games.
Wagner is averaging career highs in points (24.2), assists (5.7), rebounds (5.6), and steals (1.8), all while maintaining similar minutes per game as in previous seasons. Though his teammates and coaches are promoting him for All-Star consideration, Wagner prefers to ignore the hype.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia’s primary scoring option, Tyrese Maxey, is navigating a shooting slump. He shot just 7-of-19 from the field (0-for-7 from three-point range) against Orlando on Wednesday, marking the fourth time in the last five games that he has shot below 42 percent.
The Magic are 3-1 on their five-game road trip, which has included stops in New York (against both the Nets and Knicks) and now Philadelphia. After Friday’s game, they will return to Orlando for seven of their next eight games.
