GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 108, Orlando Magic 101
By Adam Gilbert
The Philadelphia 76ers were able to defeat a depleted Orlando Magic team even without all-star point-forward Ben Simmons.
As a long-time Philadelphia 76ers fan, this one was a bit of an emotional roller coaster. With Michael Carter Williams, James Ennis III, and Markelle Fultz on the Magic, it seems as though Orlando has turned into the city that houses former 76ers process players.
I got caught up in the matchup between Shake Milton and Markelle Fultz for the short time that the two shared the floor. Fultz was supposed to be the last piece of the process. After selecting him No. 1 overall in 2017, the Sixers seemed to have acquired all the necessary pieces for the future. Unfortunately, that never fully panned out, and now it seems like the fanbase is expectant of Shake Milton to be what Fultz never was.
Process matchups aside, the 76ers looked okay… This game didn’t restore my confidence in the ability of this squad to compete in the playoffs, but they won their third straight, making the performance rather conflicting.
The offensive struggles continued. Without Ben Simmons the 76ers are not going to generate nearly as much offense from the fast break, forcing them to spend more time in halfcourt sets. Other then throwing the ball to Embiid in the post, the halfcourt has always been difficult and it was again tonight.
It’s almost never pretty with this team, but they got it done again. Let’s look at some player grades for the key contributors.
ALEC BURKS. A+. <strong>28 mins | 22 pts | 4 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 8-15 FG | 3-7 3PT| 3-5 FT | 3 PF | + 12 |</strong><p>The absolute MVP of this game. <a rel=. SG. Philadelphia 76ers
B+. <strong>37 mins | 23 pts | 13 reb | 1 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 7-18 FG | 0-2 3PT| 9-13 FT | 4 PF | +3 |</strong><p>Tonight was the debut of Embiid’s first shoe, the UA Embiid Ones, and despite the big reveal Joel looked lethargic early. He has fallen into a habit of settling for contested fade-away mid-range jump shots. He shook off the rust near the end of the third quarter and started getting to the line at ease. Embiid always seems to turn it on at the right time. Have to wonder how that is going to look in the playoffs.</p>. C. Philadelphia 76ers. JOEL EMBIID
A. <strong>30 mins | 21 pts | 9 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 1 TO | 8-14 FG | 1-3 3PT| 4-4 FT | 0 PF | +4 |</strong><p>It feels like we don’t get to say it that often, but <a rel=. PF. Philadelphia 76ers. AL HORFORD
<strong>40 mins | 23 pts | 15 reb | 4 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 2 TO | 8-21 FG | 2-5 3PT| 5-7 FT | 4 PF | +15 |</strong><p>Tobias Harris is my favorite player on the 76ers right now. The biggest problem with his game since the restart has been his efficiency which continued to be a problem tonight, shooting 8-for-21 from the field. However, regardless of the inefficiencies in his shooting, Harris has emerged as the leader on the floor and it shows. He keeps his teammates engaged and never stops playing. Harris finds ways to get himself going even after slow starts and tonight he was able to do so by hitting the offensive glass.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS. B+
F. <strong>34 mins | 5 pts | 0 reb | 1 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 2-12 FG | 1-5 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +2 |</strong><p>Josh Richardson looks lost. He gives me a heart attack every time he puts the ball on the floor. His passing is off and when he throws it up from 3 it never feels like it’s going in. He dies after he hits the screen defending in the pick-and-roll, which puts Embiid and Horford in a ton of uncomfortable defensive positions where they try to defend the mid-range jump shot and the man rolling at the same time. A dip in production this drastic is hard to explain. Richardson was a key contributor for the 76ers before the break and now it seems as though he hurts more than he helps.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. JOSH RICHARDSON
It would be wrong of me to finish this recap and fail to mention that Shake Milton had a career high in assists tonight with eight. A good look for the newly appointed point guard, but the team is going to need him to score more in the future if they want to make a run. Without Ben Simmons in the starting lineup, the opportunity to put up numbers similar to before the shutdown is right in front of him.
In conclusion, it might be time to be realistic about the 76ers. They simply are not good enough to make a run at the NBA Finals in the Orlando bubble. There is a chance that the intensity of the playoffs will fix some of the issues plaguing this team in the play-in games, but the closer we get to the first round, the more unlikely that seems.
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They need to box out, fight through screens, cut to the basket, and stop committing silly end of the shot clock fouls. There is still time to fix the glaring issues. Hopefully they can be successfully addressed.