Philly lost a game in Joel Embiid’s latest absence

The Philadelphia 76ers (15-22) looked to recover from a bad home game against the Orlando Magic (23-18). Without Joel Embiid in the lineup for the fourth straight game, the Sixers dropped another very winnable game. Final score: 104-99.

The 76ers’ matchup with the Magic has taken its place in a certain NFL playoff game at Lincoln Financial Field, and maybe even news of The Sixers plan to stay in the new arena in South Philly. Embiid brought a little more energy into this matchup by sitting out with a sprained left foot, missing his fourth straight contest. Both teams lost a star (Franz Wagner to Orlando) and several other players.

Injuries continued in the game. Tyrese McKay appeared to injure his left hand as Anthony Black went for a layup, although he remained in the game after a timeout, while Orlando’s Tristan da Silva and Goga Bitadze were injured during the first half.

A low-scoring affair (to no one’s surprise)

George said he was “bored” playing center for the 76ers — something that was taken out of context and related to a position he barely played — because he liked to be more busy on defense than being physical with anyone. He backed up his words in the first match by intercepting a pass intended for Buncher.

Adem Bona came in with strong rim protection, returned Goga Bitadze’s dunk attempt, and Philly rebounded and stole several other passes. The Sixers defended hard, as always, and very often turned their points into points. They scored 27 points off Orlando’s 17 turnovers.

The Magic’s spectacular defense never stops, even as some of their top individual defenders come in and out of the lineup. From big man Bitadze to point guard Cole Anthony, they dig deep and fight hard to keep the ball in front of them. Although the Sixers managed to get to the foul line 10 times in the first quarter, they shot poorly from the field.

It was rare for the Sixers to shoot without a hand in the face. They had to call a timeout because they almost got fouled on the inbounds and nearly the same amount of turnovers and field goals with four minutes left in the first half. They failed to score in the first two and a half minutes of the second half — in fact, they didn’t even get a shot, but committed five straight turnovers.

Magic finds a way to work with what it has

Based on each team’s offensive processes, the Magic’s offense was more layered and well-balanced than the 76ers’. They got up on the floor faster and moved purposefully on the half court.

The Magic set good screens and slid into open spots on the floor, creating good looks. Filial’s zone defense was ineffective even with Banchero replacing and Anthony Black running a point for Orlando. The Magic wanted to get the youngster some reps on the ball, but it came at the cost of creating shots. While he used his size and strength to pick up some points, he’s clearly still learning how to read the floor and make quick decisions with the ball.

Banchero, understandably, got a lot of attention from the Sixers defense. He chose to swing the ball rather than force a one-on-one issue, which kept Philly’s defense honest, but also resulted in far inferior shooters for Orlando. The home team just doesn’t have a ton of firepower in attack, so a lot of the advantage created by Banchero wasn’t converted. He too

Anthony stepped up a great night, shooting 8-9 in the first half. Not all of his shots were open, but he still made them go. Jonathan Isaac also had a high game by his standards. The entire Magic team got in sync when the Sixers turned their defense into the zone, taking the ball up the middle and making real cuts around it, and crashed the offensive glass hard, securing 12 extra chances through rebounds.

It wasn’t the prettiest way to close, but the Magic got into the paint and benefited from the 76ers’ sloppiness — their inability to rebound and the frequency of fouls. Philly’s final offensive possession ended with a five-second foul.

Finally some flash in the attack

During the first half, the 76ers’ best offense was their defense. Maxey lived at the free throw line in part because he rushed into the open court after the layup. Although his 22 points in the half were mostly the result of good drives and timely cuts, he dared the Magic to beat him to the point and they struggled. The second half was a different story.

The 76ers began to experiment flash the screen that begins their attack. It often results in a quick look of three and can be turned into different actions if there isn’t one. After a terrible start to the third quarter, the Sixers started to get back into it and managed to look half-decent.

Maxi held the ball as Gershon Yabusele set a screen to open up space for George. Magic was all over the place on the initial read, which led to another layup from Yabu that helped George pace defenders and allowed the French forward to set up deeper in the paint. Orlando’s turnover prevented George from driving too far (as did Wendell Carter Jr.’s nimble legs), but the big man he set up took advantage of smaller defenders.

Iabusele has a number of post moves that are often outdated in the modern game, but can be useful in certain spots. In spots like these games, where points were hard to come by and he wasn’t lighting it up from deep, they were very useful.

George began to get into a rhythm as the 76ers’ offense found a more solid (if still basic) structure, leading a 20-8 run and scoring 11 points in the stretch while securing a double-double through three quarters. Many of the shots were the type of deep, off-the-dribble looks that are hard to live on, but the Sixers found a way to make those shots easier for them.

The Sixers began to crumble when George hit the bench to start the fourth quarter, scoring just four points in five minutes. All PG needed was some space to drain the three. Any defender smaller than him risked hitting him right over them. PG shot 5-8 from beyond the arc en route to 25 points, with 10 rebounds, six assists and three turnovers.

George’s worst enemy tonight? He alone. The foul trouble reared its ugly head again, as he fouled out on a three-point play at the 2:49 mark. The Sixers wasted no time fouling and couldn’t outscore Orlando after PG hit the bench for good. The Magic just wanted that game more – and they got it.

The 76ers will continue their streak of tough opponents with a home back-to-back beginning on Tuesday. First up: Oklahoma City Thunder.