NBA News Wire
Magic 92, 76ers 81
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
ORLANDO — Forward Tobias Harris scored a career-high 31 points Sunday night, leading the Orlando Magic to a 92-81 victory over the hapless Philadelphia 76ers, who lost their 14th consecutive game.
The Magic (19-43) beat the Sixers (15-45) for the second time in five days, but they became the first that failed to score at least 100 points during Philadelphia’s losing streak.
Orlando center Nikola Vucevic had 18 points and game-high 17 rebounds. Reserve guard E’Twaun Moore added 11 points and played a key role in the Magic’s fourth-quarter surge.
The Sixers were led by forward Thaddeus Young, who had 29 points and eight rebounds. Rookie guard Michael Carter-Williams contributed 17 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, outplaying Magic rookie guard Victor Oladipo, who had nine points and four assists.
The Sixers committed 13 turnovers in the second half, playing a key role in their late-game collapse, when a nine-point lead dissolved quickly under the Magic’s defensive pressure.
The Magic started the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run, opening a 79-71 lead with reserves Moore and forward Kyle O’Quinn each getting four points in that three-minute stretch. Orlando never trailed again.
The Sixers opened a 67-58 lead late in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by guard Tony Wroten. The Magic, though, closed the period with an 8-2 run, including four consecutive points by Harris.
The Sixers led 46-43 at halftime despite shooting only 37 percent from the field. Carter-Williams had 14 points and five rebounds before intermission.
Harris led everyone with 19 first-half points, and Vucevic had 13 rebounds before the break. The Sixers led by as many as eight points in the second quarter.
The Sixers played with more intensity than they did four days earlier when they lost to the Magic in Philadelphia.
NOTES: The Magic were without PG Jameer Nelson (sore calf), who was instrumental in Wednesday’s victory over the Sixers in Philadelphia. G/F Arron Afflalo (sprained right ankle) missed his fifth consecutive game. In their absence, G Ronnie Price got his first start of the season, and his first playing time since the end of January. We finished scoreless in 24 minutes. … This was the fourth and final meeting between Sixers G Michael Carter-Williams and Magic G Victor Oladipo, the two leading contenders for NBA Rookie of the Year. Entering Sunday, Carter-Williams led all rookies in points (17.1 per game), rebounds (5.3 per game) and assists (6.2 per game). … . March 2 was the 52nd anniversary of the famed 100-point game of Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain. He did it against the New York Knicks at the Hershey (Pa.) Sports Arena, and it is still considered one of the greatest records in sports history. … Both teams were coming off lopsided losses Saturday night. The Magic fell by 14 to Miami, while the Sixers lost by 19 to Washington. … The Sixers’ losing streak is their longest losing in 17 years.
