The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the visiting Orlando Magic, 116-115, at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday evening.
The Magic jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead and went ahead to push it to a 26-10 advantage with 4:55 left in the first. However, the Sixers battled back and cut the gap to just two points, trailing, 32-30, after one. The 76ers pulled ahead in the second carried the lead for most of the quarter, before taking a 63-52 lead into halftime. The tides turned again in the third quarter, as the Magic outscored the 76ers by eight, to cut the deficit to three points, heading into the final frame. The Sixers maintained their edge and pushed the lead back to 10, with five minutes to go in the game, but the Magic used an 18-9 run to make it a one-point game with 4.6 seconds left and possession. The Magic were not able to convert on the final play and dropped their second game in as many nights. On the other hand, the Sixers earned their second straight win.
Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 32 points, 10 rebounds and three assists, in 33 minutes. J.J. Redick came up huge in 32 minutes off the bench, with 31 points, four rebounds and four assists. Dario Saric finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists, one block and one steal, while Robert Covington added 12 points, four rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist. The Sixers shot 48 percent from the field, including 17-of-34 from long range.
Meanwhile, Evan Fournier was the high-point man for the Magic with 31 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal, in 33 minutes. Nikola Vucevic had a big night with 27 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists and two steals, in 37 minutes of action, while Aaron Gordon finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds three assists, three blocks and one steal. The Magic shot 46 percent from the field, including 16-of-29 from distance.
The Magic (1-2) take on the Celtics in Boston on Monday, while the 76ers, head to Detroit to challenge the Pistons on Tuesday.
