Game ID: 22300415
Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic
Wednesday, December 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM ET
Kia Center, Orlando, FL
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
ORL 25 21 29 17 92PHI 26 26 32 28 112
ORL vs PHI ScoutingORL vs PHI Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
ORL availability going into 12/20 · 2 days' restOUT Carter Jr. missed 20 since 11/04, returns tonight: 23 min (91% of 26)
OUT Fultz missed 17 since 11/11, out tonight
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (94% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 18 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 2 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 23 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 15 min since (89% of 16)
NEW Black 16 to 22 min over the last 5
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/23 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 19 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 3 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 22 min since (87% of 26)
BACK Isaac back 12/11 after 3, 14 min since (88% of 16)
NEW Bitadze 15 to 24 min over the last 4
ORL availability going into 12/26 · 2 days' restOUT Suggs missed 2 since 12/21, returns tonight: 29 min (106% of 28)
OUT Fultz missed 20 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 4 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 20 min since (80% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 23 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/27 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 21 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 5 since 12/17, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (106% of 28)
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 21 min since (80% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 24 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 22 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 6 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 2 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (105% of 28)
BACK Carter Jr. back 12/20 after 20, 21 min since (81% of 26)
NEW Black 16 to 25 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 12/31 · 1 day's restOUT Gar. Harris missed 2 since 12/27, returns tonight: 32 min (134% of 24)
OUT Fultz missed 23 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 7 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 3 since 12/26, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 30 min since (107% of 28)
NEW Black 16 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW Houstan 13 to 19 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Fultz missed 24 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 8 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 4 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 29 min since (107% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 32 min since (134% of 24)
NEW Black 16 to 27 min over the last 5
ORL availability going into 1/03 · back-to-backOUT Fultz missed 25 since 11/11, out tonight
OUT Ingles missed 9 since 12/17, out tonight
OUT Isaac missed 5 since 12/26, out tonight
OUT Queen missed 3 since 12/29, returns tonight: 38 min (322% of 12)
BACK Suggs back 12/26 after 2, 30 min since (108% of 28)
BACK Gar. Harris back 12/31 after 2, 31 min since (126% of 24)
NEW F. Wagner 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Black 16 to 24 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restBACK House Jr. back 12/11 after 6, 9 min since (59% of 15)
BACK Martin back 12/11 after 2, 5 min since (42% of 12)
BACK Springer back 12/11 after 6, 10 min since (85% of 12)
PHI availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restBACK House Jr. back 12/11 after 6, 8 min since (56% of 15)
BACK Martin back 12/11 after 2, 5 min since (42% of 12)
BACK Springer back 12/11 after 6, 10 min since (85% of 12)
PHI availability going into 12/22 · 1 day's rest
full strength
PHI availability going into 12/25 · 2 days' restOUT Batum missed 2 since 12/20, out tonight
PHI availability going into 12/27 · 1 day's restOUT Batum missed 3 since 12/20, out tonight
PHI availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restOUT Embiid missed 2 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Batum missed 4 since 12/20, out tonight
PHI availability going into 12/30 · back-to-backOUT Embiid missed 3 since 12/25, out tonight
OUT Batum missed 5 since 12/20, returns tonight: 19 min (73% of 26)
NEW Morris Sr. 17 to 23 min over the last 5
PHI availability going into 1/02 · 2 days' restOUT Embiid missed 4 since 12/25, returns tonight: 31 min (91% of 35)
OUT Springer missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 21 min (181% of 12)
BACK Batum back 12/30 after 5, 19 min since (73% of 26)
NEW Melton 26 to 34 min over the last 4
PHI availability going into 1/05 · 2 days' restBACK Embiid back 1/02 after 4, 31 min since (91% of 35)
BACK Batum back 12/30 after 5, 21 min since (80% of 26)
BACK Springer back 1/02 after 2, 21 min since (181% of 12)
NEW Melton 26 to 34 min over the last 4
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 26 free throws a game; Banchero at 25 and F. Wagner at 21 a game. Without Fultz (21 straight), Ingles (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 107, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 23 free throws a game; Embiid at 41 and Maxey at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Batum (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Philadelphia at 40 percent from three to Orlando's 31 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 107 a night to Orlando's 115. Call it Philadelphia 117, Orlando 111.
12/20 vs MIA 106-115 — ORL notes
ORL lost 106-115. ORL shot 46% (41 of 89) to MIA's 48%, 9 of 36 from three. The glass went 49-39 for them. Anthony led with 20 (8 of 13, 2 of 5 from three); F. Wagner added 15, Suggs 11. Q4 was theirs, 34-26, the deficit cut from 17 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 89-72 against them. Suggs's -23 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/21 @ MIL 114-118 — ORL notes
ORL lost 114-118. ORL took 9 more shots (99 to 90), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 45% to MIL's 42%, 8 of 33 from three, and got to the line 23 times to MIL's 35. ORL turned it over 7 times to MIL's 13. F. Wagner led with 29 (13 of 23, 1 of 6 from three); Banchero added 23, M. Wagner 21. Q4 was theirs, 32-27, the deficit cut from 9 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 91-82 against them. Carter Jr.'s -27 in 21 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/23 @ IND 117-110 — ORL notes
ORL won 117-110. ORL shot 53% (39 of 73) to IND's 52%, 6 of 18 from three, and went to the line 41 times to IND's 13 — 33 points from the stripe to their 9. Banchero led with 34 (11 of 20, 12 of 16 at the line); F. Wagner added 24, Harris 15. The hinge was Q1, 36-27: from level to 9 ahead, and the lead reached 15.
12/26 @ WAS 127-119 — ORL notes
ORL won 127-119. ORL shot 53% (49 of 93) to WAS's 49%, 12 of 26 from three. F. Wagner led with 28 (10 of 17, 2 of 4 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Banchero added 24, Black 23. The hinge was Q3, 35-28: a lead of 3 became 10, and the lead reached 17. F. Wagner was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
12/27 vs PHI 92-112 — ORL notes
ORL lost 92-112. ORL shot 39% (31 of 79) to PHI's 47%, 9 of 33 from three, and went to the line 24 times to PHI's 17 — 21 points from the stripe to their 12. ORL turned it over 16 times to PHI's 10, and PHI turned those into 10 steals. F. Wagner led with 24 (8 of 16, 1 of 5 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Suggs added 20, Banchero 19. Q1 was theirs, 25-26, but the other 3 periods went 86-67 against them. F. Wagner's -22 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/29 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 26 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 24 and Banchero at 22 a game. Without Fultz (22 straight), Ingles (6 straight), Isaac (2 straight). One day's rest. New York comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 25 free throws a game; Brunson at 29 and Randle at 26 a game. Without Robinson (9 straight), McBride (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Orlando wins, and the game turns on the arc, New York at 36 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Orlando 115, New York 114, New York keeping it close.
12/31 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 50 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Booker at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Eubanks (2 straight), Bates-Diop (6 straight). One day's rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 29 from three, 31 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 26 a game. Without Gar. Harris (2 straight), Fultz (23 straight), Ingles (7 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-9 a night and Orlando minus-1 and the arc, Phoenix at 37 percent from three to Orlando's 29. Call it Phoenix 115, Orlando 114, Orlando keeping it close.
1/02 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Curry at 23 and Wiggins at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Green (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 28 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 27 a game. Without Fultz (24 straight), Ingles (8 straight), Isaac (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Golden State wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 28 free throws a game to Golden State's 21 and the glass, where Golden State has been plus-7 a night and Orlando plus-3. Call it Golden State 116, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
1/03 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Fox at 31 and Sabonis at 22 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 25 free throws a game; F. Wagner at 27 and Banchero at 25 a game. Without Fultz (25 straight), Ingles (9 straight), Isaac (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the line, where Orlando takes 25 free throws a game to Sacramento's 17. Call it Sacramento 115, Orlando 111, Orlando keeping it close.
12/18 vs CHI 104-108 — PHI notes
PHI lost 104-108. PHI shot 43% (38 of 88) to CHI's 47%, 11 of 32 from three. Embiid led with 40 (15 of 28, 2 of 6 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Maxey added 29. Q4 was theirs, 35-27, the deficit cut from 12 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 81-69 against them. They led by as many as 12.
12/20 vs MIN 127-113 — PHI notes
PHI won 127-113. PHI shot 54% (45 of 84) to MIN's 51%, 8 of 22 from three, and went to the line 32 times to MIN's 24 — 29 points from the stripe to their 20. PHI turned it over 12 times to MIN's 18. Embiid led with 51 (17 of 25, 17 of 18 at the line); Maxey added 35. The hinge was Q4, 37-26: a lead of 3 became 14. Morris Sr. was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/22 vs TOR 121-111 — PHI notes
PHI won 121-111. PHI shot 53% (44 of 83) to TOR's 45%, 14 of 31 from three, and got to the line 21 times to TOR's 28. Maxey led with 33 (13 of 22, 4 of 10 from three); Harris added 33, Embiid 31. The hinge was Q2, 33-21: PHI came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 3, and the lead reached 16. Maxey was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
12/25 @ MIA 113-119 — PHI notes
PHI lost 113-119. PHI took 10 more shots (94 to 84), but shot 43% to MIA's 48%, 17 of 45 from three, and got to the line 25 times to MIA's 35. PHI turned it over 7 times to MIA's 14. The glass went 36-56 against them. Harris led with 27 (10 of 18, 4 of 7 from three); Oubre Jr. added 25, Bamba 18. Q3 was theirs, 37-23, the deficit cut from 14 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 96-76 against them. They led by as many as 10. Beverley's -18 in 13 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/27 @ ORL 112-92 — PHI notes
PHI won 112-92. PHI shot 47% (45 of 96) to ORL's 39%, 10 of 28 from three, and got to the line 17 times to ORL's 24. PHI turned it over 10 times to ORL's 16. Maxey led with 23 (9 of 18, 3 of 6 from three); Melton added 22, Harris 22. The hinge was Q4, 28-17: a lead of 9 became 20, and the lead reached 23. Melton was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
12/29 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 117, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and Smith Jr. at 20 a game. One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Embiid at 41 and Maxey at 26 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Embiid (2 straight), Batum (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 109 a night to Houston's 117 and the glass, where Houston has been minus-1 a night and Philadelphia minus-5. Call it Philadelphia 115, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
12/30 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 19 free throws a game; DeRozan at 23 and White at 18 a game. Without LaVine (14 straight), Vučević (2 straight), Craig (6 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 29 and Harris at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. Without Embiid (3 straight), Batum (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Philadelphia wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-0 a night and Philadelphia minus-8 and the arc, Philadelphia at 38 percent from three to Chicago's 32. Call it Philadelphia 114, Chicago 113, Chicago keeping it close.
1/02 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Maxey at 26 and Harris at 24 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. Without Embiid (4 straight). 2 days' rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 106, shooting 47 percent and 26 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 22 and White at 19 a game. Without LaVine (15 straight), Vučević (3 straight), Craig (7 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Chicago has been plus-2 a night and Philadelphia minus-10 and the arc, Philadelphia at 35 percent from three to Chicago's 26. Call it Philadelphia 114, Chicago 109.
1/05 vs NYK — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Maxey at 24 and Harris at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. 2 days' rest. New York comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Randle at 33 and Brunson at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Robinson (13 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the glass, where New York has been plus-8 a night and Philadelphia minus-10 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 108 a night to New York's 118. Call it Philadelphia 117, New York 112.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHIDH D. House Jr.
DM D. Melton
JS J. Springer
KO K. Oubre Jr.
MB M. Bamba
MM M. Morris Sr.
PB P. Beverley
PR P. Reed
RC R. Covington
TH T. Harris
TM T. Maxey
ORLAB A. Black
CA C. Anthony
CH C. Houstan
CO C. Okeke
FW F. Wagner
GB G. Bitadze
JH J. Howard
JS J. Suggs
MW M. Wagner
PB P. Banchero
TQ T. Queen
WC W. Carter Jr.
PHI/ORL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Maxey, Harris, Melton help 76ers beat Magic 112-92 without Embiid
ORLANDO, Fla. -- — The 76ers didn't have their All-Star center Wednesday night, but they brought their defense.
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 points and Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton added 22 each for Philadelphia, which beat the Orlando Magic 112-92 while playing without reigning MVP Joel Embiid .
“We got deflections, got a lot of runouts. It was our first time trying some different things out there defensively,” Maxey said. “It really worked, really helped us.”
Paul Reed had 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks for the Sixers while starting at center for Embiid, the league's leading scorer who missed a second straight game with a sprained right ankle. Philadelphia has won nine of its past 11 games.
“I think we certainly got to find another style to play because it’s so different when he’s there, and the first couple (games) weren’t great,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “Playing well enough to give ourselves a chance to win is the main thing without Joel.”
Franz Wagner scored 24 points for the Magic, who were held to a season low in scoring and have lost five of seven. Jalen Suggs added 20 points and Paolo Banchero added 19 points and nine rebounds for Orlando, which shot 9 for 33 from 3-point range.
Banchero struggled all night and finished 6 of 21 from the field.
“I thought they did a really good job of plugging the paint and our ability to navigate that,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You have to give them credit for recognizing the game plan and executing it at a high level.”
The Magic, who have hit less than 28% of their 3s in each of their last three losses, got some open looks from behind the arc, and Suggs said they had to take them.
“They're great looks. We wouldn't trade any of those,” he said. “Those are shots we’re living with and we’ll take those every time. If you don’t take them, that looks crazy.”
Harris scored twice during a 9-0 run that gave the Sixers the first of three 11-point leads they held in the third period. Suggs responded with a dunk and a 3-pointer before being called for his fourth foul with 7:04 left in the quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Banchero and Caleb Houstan got the Magic back within three with 9:36 remaining, but Harris and Melton hit 3s for the 76ers and Orlando never threatened again. The Magic scored only 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Maxey, coming back from a 4-for-20 shooting performance in a Christmas Day loss at Miami, scored 14 points in the first half despite sitting out the final eight minutes of the first quarter with two fouls.
“I stayed aggressive, let the game come to me a little more tonight," he said. “The shots fell, the same shots I've been making all year.”