ORLANDO, Fla. — Even with Joel Embiid and Paul George in action Friday night, the Sixers sunk to a dismal 0-10 this season in regulation games.
A dozen games in, the team still has just two overtime victories. They fell to a 98-86 loss to the Magic in the NBA Cup, dropping to 0-2 in that competition.
The Magic improved to 8-6 overall and 7-0 at Kia Center. Franz Wagner led Orlando with 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists.
The Sixers squandered another great performance by rookie guard Jared McCain. He exceeded 20 points for a fourth consecutive game, scoring 29 on 10-for-17 shooting.
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Embiid had 20 points on 5-for-15 shooting and eight rebounds.
Tyrese Maxey, who joined the Sixers for their three-game road trip, remained out with a right hamstring strain. A Sixers official said Maxey has resumed on-court work and will be re-evaluated early next week.
Paolo Banchero (torn right oblique) and Wendell Carter Jr. (left foot plantar fasciitis) were out for Orlando.
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The Sixers will travel to Miami and play the Heat on Monday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Magic:
Embiid back on his game in first half
On their first play, the Sixers got George the ball on an Iverson cut and immediately had their two available stars working together. George fed a rolling Embiid and the big man drew two free throws.
Embiid made more field goals in the first quarter than he had his entire season debut Tuesday vs. the Knicks. His self-assessment of “extremely rusty” no longer applied. The seven-time All-Star sunk a smooth fadeaway jumper to put the Sixers up 4-0.
Orlando double teamed Embiid on essentially every touch once he began his move. The Sixers’ spacing and cutting around him wasn’t great in the early going, but the team had success using Embiid at the elbow and top of the key. As is often the case, he looked threatening almost anywhere on the floor.
Embiid subbed out and Guerschon Yabusele checked in with 6:25 to go in the first quarter. Andre Drummond eventually entered during the second quarter and ultimately played just four minutes to Yabusele’s 24. He'd been out for the Sixers' loss Wednesday night to the Cavs because of an illness and was not at Friday's morning shootaround.
“Drum just had the sickness … so we threw him in there (after) we had both of our bigs playing four-five,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said. “(Embiid and Yabusele) ran stretches together, which opened up a small window for Drum, but we didn’t get back to that in the second half.”
With Embiid sitting in the first quarter, Orlando went on a 9-0 run, taking a 24-15 lead after a Franz Wagner three-pointer and Mo Wagner layup.
Then, with Yabusele playing next to Embiid late in the first and early in the second quarter, the Sixers surged right back. Embiid anchored the defense well and Yabusele had excellent energy on both ends. He blocked an Anthony Black jumper, leading to a bench-pleasing McCain slam that capped a 14-0 Sixers run.
McCain train keeps rolling
McCain got another well-deserved start after his 34-point, 10-assist game Wednesday.
Kelly Oubre Jr. came off the bench for the first time since March 6.
“Obviously, McCain is playing very well, probably earning a starting position, for one,” Nurse said. “You guys have heard me talk a little bit about splitting Kelly and Caleb (Martin) up a little bit more. And also, just maybe trying to get Kelly going a little bit, too.“
Oubre began brightly, throwing down a near-immediate slam after cutting smartly off a George drive. He also drained a first-quarter three, though he ended up going scoreless over the final three periods.
Both teams struggled early with their jumpers. Until McCain swished a transition triple in the second quarter, the Sixers were 1 for 9 from long range. Orlando started 3 for 17.
McCain again struck a mature balance between pacy, attack-minded play and sensible decision-making in a zero-turnover outing. He also showed an intuitive understanding for how to play off of Embiid as a spot-up shooter, pick-and-roll ball handler and dribble handoff weapon. His feel for how opponents defend Embiid and where the superstar center operates best should only grow over time. Two games in, he’s made it all appear very simple.
McCain was also solid defensively on Magic guard Jalen Suggs, who went 1 for 8 from three-point range. The Sixers clearly knew that Orlando had the NBA’s worst three-point shooting percentage (30.6 percent ahead of Friday’s game). They made few obvious game plan-related mistakes on defense and forced 18 Magic turnovers.
From an individual standpoint, McCain was stellar in his matchup against Suggs.
“I think players are going to start being more physical with me, so it was good for me,” McCain said. “I like the challenge of having Suggs, a great defender, guard me. And I think I learned throughout the game to handle it better.”
Maxey provided a coaching tidbit or two from the sideline.
“He was talking about Suggs and how to get past that — how to use my body,” McCain said. “I’ve got a strong base, so get him off me and come off the screen. With the handoffs with Joel, (Suggs) was kind of meeting me at the screen and bumping me off my line, so I’ve got to get into him.”
No answer for massive Magic run
The Sixers’ No. 2 star was much less productive than Embiid in the first half. George missed his first eight field goals, including multiple layups, and didn’t score until the last minute of the second quarter. His final stat line was 13 points on 4-for-15 shooting, five assists and four rebounds.
Embiid was similarly quiet in the second half, scoring only one point in the third quarter and three in the fourth. Late in the third, Black swiped the ball from him on a sneaky double team and went the other way for a layup. Next time down, Embiid shot a tightly contested air ball.
The Sixers' miscues rapidly snowballed. Yabusele didn't realize the shot clock was low on a sideline out-of-bounds play and the Sixers committed a 24-second violation. Soon after, Oubre couldn't find an open teammate from the sideline and was whistled for a five-second violation. The Sixers' half-court offense was harried and labored. McCain missed a fast-break layup. Embiid continued to come up empty. He's 1 for 10 from three-point range since his return.
“I felt much better, especially at the start,” Embiid said. “I felt at first I was OK. And then in the second half … I was actually pretty good as far as up here (the lungs). It just felt like my legs wouldn’t move; they were tight. It felt like every shot I was taking was short. So just keep building on it and get to a point where I’m myself.”
In the end, the Magic amassed a 16-0 run and seized an 80-72 lead. The Sixers did not score between the 2:12 mark of the third quarter and the 7:54 mark of the fourth.
They found some stability before the game was out of reach. McCain created a tricky step-through layup for himself and George hit a fadeaway jumper that cut the Sixers' deficit to 84-80.
However, with a little under five minutes left, McCain fouled out. Embiid came in for his final stint of a 33-minute night.
His presence did not dramatically turn the tide. Franz Wagner and Suggs drilled threes, Embiid missed a jumper late in the shot clock and Jonathan Isaac slammed in a put-back dunk. The Sixers failed to right the ship Friday. As far as their season is concerned, they've got 70 games left to do so.
