In a fast turnaround rematch, the Philadelphia 76ers (5-15) will host the Orlando Magic (16-8) on Friday night. The Magic did not cover the six-point spread despite defeating the 76ers 106-102 in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
When the two teams squared off on Wednesday, the Magic defeated the 76ers. Going into the fourth quarter, the game was all even, but Orlando would eventually pull away to win 106-102 on the road.
The loss ended Philadelphia's two-game winning streak, which was the only time they had won back-to-back games this season.
The Sixers have dropped eight of ten games at home and are currently 10 games below.500.
Prior to losing to the Knicks on Tuesday, Orlando had previously won six in a row. With their victory over the 76ers, the team was able to resume their winning ways, and they will now aim for their 14th victory in their past 16 contests.
In an era where the NBA frequently questions daily effort, the Orlando Magic don't cheat. The Magic's stock dropped after they lost Paolo Banchero (29 points per game, 8.8 rebounds) after just five games this season, but they have won 13 of their last 15 games without their star, and they have the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
With 35 points in Wednesday's victory over the 76ers, Franz Wagner led Orlando in scoring. He leads the team in scoring this season with 24.2 points, 5.7 assists, and 1.8 steals per game.
With an average of 23.4 points per game and a lead of 5.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, Franz Wagner has started all 19 of Orlando's games. With 15.3 points per game, Jalen Suggs is in second place, while Moritz Wagner is next with 12.9 points per game. Center Goga Bitadze contributes 8.1 points per game, leads the club in blocks (1.6), and averages 7.0 rebounds.
One may argue that the 76ers have been the most disappointing team after seven consecutive winning seasons. Philadelphia has been hampered by injuries; the only players who have not missed a game this season are rookie Jared McCain (16.5 points per game), Kelly Oubre Jr. (12.9 points per game), and Guerschon Yabusele (9.9 points per game). Joel Embiid, who has only played four games thus far (19.8 points per game, 7.5 rebounds), will not participate on Friday. Despite missing ten games this season, Paul George (15.9 points per game) contributed 29 points and eight assists in Tuesday's 110-104 victory over Charlotte.
Tyrese Maxey, who has started 14 games and scored 16 points in Wednesday's defeat, leads the 76ers (24.9 points per game).
The 76ers are 27th in offensive efficiency and in the bottom half of the NBA in most key statistical metrics. 13th place goes to the defense. Philadelphia has some good news: despite their awful start to the season, the 76ers are only 2.5 games out of 10th place since the Eastern Conference hasn't been that good generally.
