Magic Defense Disappears in Loss vs. 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers, despite playing without James Harden and Joel Embiid, made quick work of the Orlando Magic.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 27, 2022

Magic Defense Disappears in Loss vs. 76ers /

The Orlando Magic (5-15) is putting on a lot of band-aids after a 133-103 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers (11-9) Sunday evening at the Amway Center.

The Magic kept up with the Sixers in the first quarter, but all of the air deflated out of the balloon in the second. Philadelphia outscored Orlando 31-13 and ran way too far ahead of the Magic's sight.

The Magic allowed the Sixers to shoot 64.9 percent from the field, a season-worst for Orlando. Philly simply couldn't miss and Orlando had no answer, or at least a healthy one.

Most of those defensive stalwarts who could have altered the game on defense or tried to match the output on offense sat on the bench.

Jalen Suggs (knee) and Markelle Fultz (toe) were surprise scratches before the game alongside Wendell Carter Jr. (plantar fascia), Chuma Okeke (knee), Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) and Cole Anthony (oblique). To make matters worse, Mo Bamba (back spasms) and Terrence Ross (illness) had to leave mid-game.

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner tried their best to keep the ship afloat, but it was far too tall of a task.

When half of the roster is not 100 percent and the rest of the team is adjusting to one another because the players have also been in and out of the lineup, it's extremely difficult to win a game in the NBA, and the Magic is learning this the hard way.

Orlando is back in action tomorrow night when it travels to the Big Apple to face Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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Published Nov 27, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.