Orlando, FL – In what should have been a surefire win against a shorthanded 76ers team, the young Orlando Magic were no match for Doc Rivers’ veteran-driven team, led by former Magic forward Tobias Harris. The Magic lost 107-99 on the first night of a two-game home stretch against Philadelphia. Let’s break down what really occurred during this disappointing loss. 

Prior to the game’s tip-off, it was made clear all 3 three of Philadelphia’s star players, Maxey, Embiid and Harden would be sitting out. With the return of Paolo Banchero and the absence of Joel Embiid, I asked Coach Jamahl Mosley how he will gameplan around Banchero’s elite interior scoring ability, knowing there won’t be a dominant rim protector available for Philadelphia.

“Before he got injured, obviously his free throw rate, points in the paint were high. I think we’re gonna continue (seeing) that, with Joel Embiid being out.” – Jamahl Mosley

Throughout the majority of the first half, it seemed Coach Mosley and the Magic were following the memo that was set pregame. Three-pointers weren’t being forced, the team’s focus seemed to be on generating inside shots, and the Magic played at their pace. On Philly’s end, there were certainly some players (Melton, Harris) that were starting to give the Magic trouble. 

However, the Magic sustained. At this point, there wasn’t much to complain about how the Magic played. Small issues like silly turnovers were the only talking points, yet it’s a young team—there’s going to be slip-ups here and there. Bol Bol finished a dominant first half with 15 points on 7-8 shooting, leaving Magic fans excited for what was in store for the 2nd half.

This excitement didn’t last long, as the Magic’s traditional 3rd quarter woes struck once again. Philadelphia’s 3-point flurry spearheaded by Georges Niang (5/7 from 3) was far too much for Orlando’s fairly unpopular zone defense. Jalen Suggs recorded 18 minutes played tonight—he was pulled from the game early in the 3rd quarter and didn’t return.

A similar story can be told for the 4th quarter, as a noticeable factor of the game is the tone shift. The entire second half, it felt as if the Magic were submissive, feeling forced into matching Philly’s 3-point heavy style in order to play catch-up.

Here’s a bit of perspective on the Magic’s poor decision making on Friday: in a game where the opponent had only one player over the height of 6’7”, the Magic attempted 34 3 pointers and allowed 13 offensive rebounds. Oh and, did we mention the Magic also rolled out the 3rd tallest starting lineup of all-time?

Down the stretch, shots that should’ve gone in simply didn’t. There were a couple mini-runs where the Magic reached within 4 points, yet Philly always answered them back with a three. I asked Paolo Banchero (19 points, 8-11 FT) what he believed was the most glaring issue throughout the game that made this must-win so difficult for the team.

“They made shots from the 3, a lot more than we did. The turnovers and not boxing out, we gave up a lot of offensive rebounds. But like I said— the three-point line definitely played a big part in the game. Niang, Milton, those guys hit some big shots. So I think that was the difference.” – Paolo Banchero

I also was able to question Franz Wagner (24 points, 9-10 FT, 6-7 2P%) about his ability to dominate in getting to the paint and drawing fouls, and if he’ll continue to resort to that into Sunday’s matchup. 

“I think I did a solid job with that. That’s kind of our gameplan, we’re a really tall team with guys that create a lot of advantages when they’re at the rim. Most games that we win are when we dominate in the paint, get offensive rebounds.” – Franz Wagner

The Magic look to even things out at home between Philadelphia, with a tip-off tomorrow night at 6:00 PM EST.