The Philadelphia 76ers (2-10) played the Orlando Magic (8-6) in their next NBA Cup game, returning Joel Embiid and Paul George to the starting lineup. The Sixers led by as much as 13 but went on to lose 98-86 becoming the second team in the Eastern Conference to notch double-digit losses.
As Tyrese Maxey made progress toward a return, Embiid and George made their returns to action. Jared McCain remained in the starting lineup, moving Kelly Oubre Jr. to the bench as the rookie continues to shine. The Magic have an uninspiring offense, especially without lead star Paolo Banchero, but their defense is not to be taken lightly. Especially with Embiid still working his way back, this was far from an easy win. The way the contest played out showed just that.
Here are three takeaways from the 76ers’ loss to the Magic.
Joel Embiid continues to work his way back
The big fella really wanted to play in the second game of a back-to-back but was instead sat out with injury management. The Sixers continued to exercise caution with him and probably will for at least his first weeks of the season. Against the Magic, Embiid looked better but couldn’t keep it up.
Right out of the gates, Embiid looked more like himself – rolling hard out of a pick-and-roll with George to draw a foul, rising up confidently for a middie, timing a Franz Wagner layup to block it. He was hesitant to explode to the rim after getting a step on his man a couple of times but he still managed to earn points.
The Magic sent several bodies at Embiid and he opted not to swing a pass, partly because the combined wingspan of Orlando’s roster probably stretches from Florida to Pennsylvania. He stayed patient against solid defenders like Goga Bitadze and Jonathan Isaac, a big, nimble, DPOY-caliber defender. It helped that entry passing was way better.
However, there were still a lot of sloppy moments from Embiid. He allowed Anthony Black to take the ball away from behind him and score a wide-open bucket, the ugliest of his six turnovers. The 76ers superstar can’t control everything his teammates do but he failed to set the tone and that lack of mental sharpness seemed to permeate the lineup around him. He failed to make a field goal in the second half.
From the end of the third quarter into the start of the fourth, the Magic surged, embarking on a 20-3 run. Embiid was not on the court for all of it but the run continuing with him was not a good development for Philly, who went almost seven games minutes without a single point. Embiid was on the floor for all but a minute or so and broke the seal with a technical free throw but also saw his effectiveness fall off a cliff after the first half.
Final stat line for the big man in 33 minutes: 20 points, eight rebounds, two assists, 5-15 field-goal shooting.
McCain remains a star(ter)
McCain made his second straight start, retaining some shooting and scoring juice left behind by Maxey’s injury. Nick Nurse was hinting that it would be going that way and he shared the backcourt with Kyle Lowry. He was on an absolute tear coming into this matchup against one of the toughest defensive backcourt in the NBA. That duo couldn’t stop him, either.
The rookie didn’t have an explosive scoring night but he showed he could fit right in alongside the stars. His quick release punished defenders who cheated over too far to help on Embiid. He capped off a great fast-break sequence by keeping the defense occupied and delivering a great bounce pass to a trailing Guerschon Yabusele.
This matchup was not a kind one for a 6-foot-2 guard who plays below the rim — well, aside from a breakaway dunk that Maxey could not have been happier about. Despite facing so many long defenders and tough on-ball stoppers, McCain was never daunted. He managed to freeze Isaac for a layup and always found an opening in the defense to get open from deep.
The rookie’s mind never stops churning on the court, always aware of his surroundings and how to exploit them. He certainly has some flashiness to him with his nifty scoring moves and high-volume shooting but he’s also still as fundamental and scrappy as anyone. The only one who could stop him in this game was himself, as he fouled out before he could get another 30-piece. Still, 29 points on 10-17 shooting from the field is nothing to scoff at.
Oubre was the first player off the bench, subbing in for McCain after less than four minutes and cutting to the paint to finish a dunk off a PG drive. He was tasked with guarding Wagner a few times but was not up to the task. Although he managed to shoot the ball efficiently, Philly lost his minutes worse than they lost anyone else’s besides Lowry.
Yabusele-at-center lineups still need help
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Andre Drummond was available despite battling an illness but Yabusele still got most of the backup center minutes. Against this jumbo-sized Magic team, even without Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr., the Sixers were really rolling the dice — and they came up empty. Yabusele himself was not bad in this game. However, he’s so limited at center that the Sixers have to put as much size as possible around him.
After Embiid’s first shift, the Magic ripped off a 9-0 run and tripled the Sixers’ rebounding output late in the first quarter. Philly closed the gap but put itself in a hole early. In the fourth quarter — when McCain was the only guard-sized player in the lineup — the small-ball Sixers rebounded and defended the half-court well enough to attempt a comeback. Their carelessness with the ball did them in.
It didn’t help matters that George, the focal point of the offense with Embiid out, had a brutal night. He shot 1-9 in the first half, settling for tough shots and failing to connect. Without Embiid to help set him up, he was tough to watch. Even with McCain balling out again, PG’s woeful shooting night was perhaps the biggest factor dragging the Sixers down. Caleb Martin’s errant passing a record-scratching on offense were also big factors.
When Drummond can’t be called on — which has happened and will happen for reasons beyond just having a cold — and Nurse doesn’t want to turn to Adem Bona, the rest of the lineup around the Dancing Bear has to be big. It would be helpful to play KJ Martin, a vertical spacer and solid defender/passer. The guys around him have to play bigger than they are, which is a problem considering that, besides the Martins (and Lowry), that isn’t really anyone on the team’s forte.
Other takeaways
- Orlando’s NBA Cup court was solid and its uniforms, which are clean on their own, matched it very nicely.
- Jeff Dowtin Jr. only played four minutes but he either might run out of eligible games or be converted to a standard deal again. Nurse clearly trusts him a lot.
- Wagner must be an All-Star this season. He was deserving last year but simply has to make it this time around.
The 76ers will face the Miami Heat on Monday.
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