As Magic Game Day 47 is upon us, there is a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers for Orlando and that means Joel Embiid awaits. The Magic are looking to finding some improvement, particularly offensively after two underwhelming performances.
Last Games And Season Records.
The Orlando Magic
Monday 17th January – Portland Trail Blazers 98 – 88 Orlando Magic
Magic Top Performances – Jalen Suggs continued his strong all round play since returning to the court as he finished with 10 points. Moe Wagner was joint leading scorer for the Magic again with 14 points. Franz Wagner joined his brother with 14 points. He has scored double figures in 38 of his 45 NBA games, including hitting 20-points or more on 10 occasions. Gary Harris returned to scoring double-digit, hitting 10 points, making at least 10 points in 21 of his last 23 games. Cole Anthony flirted with a triple-double as he scored 9 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal. Mo Bamba took 4 blocks to attain a career total of 280 and move to 8th all time in this category for the Magic.
Orlando’s record is now 8 wins and 37 losses, which sees the Magic remain last in the Eastern Conference. They have lost the last two games played and in the last 10 games played the Magic have only won once. The home record stands at 2 wins of 18 games played, whilst on the road it is 6 wins in 27 played. In points per game the Magic score 101.6 whilst conceding 110.5, still rating 28th on offence and 24th defensively.
The Philadelphia 76ers
Monday 17th January – Philadelphia 76ers 98 – 117 Washington Wizards
Sixers Top Performances – Joel Embiid was the leading scorer with 32 points. Tyrese Maxey was the only other Sixer to reach double digit scoring with 18 points on a night where many failed to hit their game.
Philadelphia’s record is 25 wins and 18 losses, seeing them 6th in the Eastern Conference. Of the last 10 games played they have won 8 times. At home the 76ers have an average record at 9 wins in 18 games played. On the road is a different matter, with an impressive 16 wins in 27 played. In points per game Philly score 107.2 whilst conceding 105.6, rating 13th on offence and 12th defensively.
Head-To-Head – The Philadelphia 76ers
The Magic lead the all time head-to-head regular season matchup by 79-44 in 122 games played.
This will be the third of four meetings this season. The first game came in Philly on Game Day 22 with the 76ers winning 96-101. Franz Wagner scored 27 points and Mo Bamba made 17 rebounds and 6 blocks. It was also the game in which Jalen Suggs fractured his right thumb. The last match was in Orlando on Game Day 40. It was a hard fought loss for Orlando by 116-106. Orlando failed to avoid both live ball turnovers and committing unnecessary fouls. Joel Embiid made 31 points, as Seth Curry, Tobias Harris and Furkan Korkmaz all scored 20 points or more. Andre Drummond added 12 points from the bench.
Last season the Magic were swept 3-0. The 76ers now have 6 game winning streak over Orlando. This is not a good road destination for Orlando recently, not winning a fixture in Philadelphia since December 2016.
In the playoffs it is 5-5, Philly taking the 1999 series 3-1, Orlando the 2009 series 4-2. Both series were first round match ups.
Our Opponents – The Philadelphia 76ers
Injury News – Danny Green, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton are all confirmed as out for tonight’s game. And then there is Ben Simmons, who is still absent with what is now described as a “back injury”, having previously been out for “personal reasons”.
Starting Lineup – Seth Curry (PG), Tyrese Maxey (SG), Tobias Harris (PF), Furkan Korkmaz (SF), Joel Embiid (C).
Bench Unit – Georges Niang, Andre Drummond, Isaiah Joe, Charlie Brown Jr, Charles Bassey, Myles Powell and Paul Reed.
They are coached by Doc Rivers.
The Orlando Magic Injury Report
ESPN is showing what could be a significant change ahead of a visit to the Philadelphia 76ers for Orlando.
Wendell Carter Jr has travelled with the team. His status has been improved to day-to-day and questionable with a sore left hamstring.
Markelle Fultz has again been training with the Lakeland Magic as he rehabs the knee. There remains no public timeline for his return.
E’Twaun Moore remains out with a sprained left knee.
Michael Carter-Williams is out after surgery to remove a bone fragment and repair his left ankle ligament.
Jonathan Isaac continues to be out as he rehabilitates from the surgically repaired left knee. He is said to be making steady progress. There remains no public timeline for his return to the court.
On A Visit To The Philadelphia 76ers For Orlando – The Magic Lineup
Just perhaps Coach Jamahl Mosely will get the good news that Wendell Carter Jr is fit to play. If so he plugs straight back into the starting unit. The question would be whether he gets the 4 (power forward) or 5 (centre) position.
Magic Starting Lineup – Cole Anthony (PG), Gary Harris (SG), Franz Wagner (SF), Chuma Okeke (PF), Robin Lopez (C)
Magic Bench Unit –Jalen Suggs, Mo Bamba, Terrence Ross, Moe Wagner, RJ Hampton, Admiral Schofield, Ignas Brazdeikis
Final Thoughts On A Visit To The Philadelphia 76ers For Orlando
Something that has been an issue all season for Orlando has been the need to limit live ball turnovers. That has been a particular feature of the last two games and it is essential the Magic get it under control tonight. The Sixers are top 10 in steals and 5th in blocking shots.
Philly do not take a high amount of shots, the least in the NBA for total field goals attempted and 27th from beyond the three-point line. However their accuracy in shot making is amongst the best in the league.
When the teams met recently in the preview we highlighted that Philadelphia are a not a high ranking rebounding team. This remains true as they are last in the offensive and total rebound categories. However the abilities of Embiid and Drummond can not be ignored.
Another perennial issue for Orlando is an area of huge concern tonight. The Magic need to avoid committing unnecessary fouls on the 76ers. In the last encounter Joel Embiid received some particularly favourable calls. This season he has shot 339 times from the line, making 276.
The tip time from Philadelphia is shown on the Orlando Magic website as being midnight here in the UK (7pm Eastern for our friends in Orlando). To watch the game live or on demand in the UK you will need an active NBA League Pass 2021/22 subscription.
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Let’s Go Magic!
