The Philadelphia 76ers are hosting the Orlando Magic in Philly on Monday night. Riding a two-game winning streak to start the season, the Sixers will have to put it all together on the floor as they'll be missing Joel Embiid and Dominick Barlow. The Magic are mostly healthy, but despite having Franz Wagner, Paolo Banchero, and Desmond Bane, the team has lost its last two games, including a 12-point loss to the Bulls on Saturday night.
Who: Orlando Magic (1-2) at Philadelphia 76ers (2-0)
When: 7 p.m. EST
Where: XFinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia, FUBO, NBA League Pass
Despite having a miserable opening night to the season, Joel Embiid looked more like the MVP version of himself against the Hornets in the team's second game. In just 20 minutes on the floor, Embiid finished with 20 points, two rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while shooting 7-11 from the floor and 3-6 on his three-point attempts. It was a good sign for Embiid, but the Sixers will have to do without him against the Magic as he's resting as part of his rehabilitation plan.
The Sixers played well despite Embiid's minutes limit and the loss of high-energy, multi-tool Dominick Barlow to an injury. Tyrese Maxey finished the game with 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, while Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in 19 of his own. Quentin Grimes picked up 24 points while shooting 5-8 on his three-point attempts, including a huge one at the end of the game to put the Sixers up for good.
Andre Drummond, who's been considered a trade piece if he's been considered at all, stepped up against the Hornets, as Adem Bona has not seemed to be up to the task of taking over the backup center position. Drummond finished with seven points and 13 rebounds in just 16 minutes, including a huge putback dunk of a Maxey miss and a few crucial rebounds in the fourth quarter. The Sixers will need the best version of Drummond, with Embiid sitting tonight.
Who am I missing? Oh yeah, VJ Edgecombe, after a huge opening night, couldn't seem to get his shot to fall consistently, but finished with 15 points. While the shooting wasn't there, the Sixers' star rookie grabbed six rebounds, had eight assists, and three steals, helping the Sixers in other ways. Recognizing that the scoring wasn't there and adjusting the game to help the team is huge for such a young player.
The Magic were picked to be a top team in the Eastern Conference this season, with Banchero, Wagner, and now Desmond Bane on the team. Combining those three with Tristan Da Silva, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black and Wendell Carter Jr. was supposed to have the Magic taking a huge leap from last season when they finished just 41-41.
Banchero and Wagner have played well, contributing almost 43 points and 16 rebounds per game, but both have struggled on three-point shots, with Banchero sitting at 16.7% through three games. The team as a whole is shooting just 28.2% from beyond the arc and shot just 3-24 against the Bulls. If the team is going to succeed, especially with the size they have up front, they're going to have to shoot much better. With a smaller Sixers unit on the floor tonight, moving the ball and getting shooters into good positions could help improve their shooting and their mindset moving forward.
After two tough losses to the Bulls and Hawks, the Magic will try to come out quickly and get going. The Sixers have been horrible defending the paint and that will be where the Magic should start off. With their size and rebounding—two things the Sixers don't have—the Magic should be able to establish themselves early, freeing up the outside for open shots.
There are quite a few questions to be asked of the Sixers as they go up against the Magic. Will they be able to better defend the interior, especially with the size and talent that the Magic have in the front court? Will VJ Edgecombe continue to improve his game and rapport with Tyrese Maxey and Quentin Grimes? Will Maxey, who's currently shooting 61.1% on his threes, continue his hot shooting ways? Will Grimes, who's shooting 53.8% on his threes, continue to show that the success he had in Philly last year is closer to the player he truly is than the first few teams he was on?
All of these are important and need to be looked at, but one thing can't be overlooked. This team, even if it's only a small sample size of games, seems to have something different, as they're closing out games and getting wins, which last year's team could only have dreamed of.
They're shooting 43% from the three-point line as a team, they're moving the ball well, especially with the three high-level guards they have, and they're getting contributions from players when they're needed. Instead of falling apart, this year's Sixers team seems to come together best when it's needed most.
While you can wonder how things change, in just a short time, look no further than Tyrese Maxey. He's taken a leadership role with the two best younger players they have in Edgecombe and second-year guard Jared McCain. He's taken them under his wing and worked with both as if he were a 15-year veteran, not a guy about to turn 25.
Maxey has taken the whole team and assumed control. Embiid, for all his talent, is a complementary player who adds to the team's quality when he's on the floor, but make no mistake: the Sixers are now Tyrese Maxey's team, and he looks more than capable of leading them.
Sixers 119 - Magic 114
