In the first quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ exhibition against the Orlando Magic, it seemed as if their prayers were answered.
Dominick Barlow effortlessly hauled in offensive rebounds and recorded put-back lay-ins. For a quarter, Philadelphia had its answer at power forward – one of several interesting developments from this preseason matchup.
The 76ers (0-3) fell to the Orlando Magic (2-0) 128-98 at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday night. In a contest that didn’t feature Joel Embiid, Paul George, Quentin Grimes, or VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia saw various players take the opportunity in stride.
First quarter
Orlando challenged Adem Bona in the paint early on in the first quarter. The UCLA product recorded two personal fouls in less than two minutes while protecting the rim. Bona’s foul discipline will likely dictate his place in Philadelphia’s rotation, so he must progress on this front.
Bona later got his bearings and blew up a few Magic drives, accounting for two of the 76ers’ four blocks in the first quarter. Using defensive playmaking to push tempo is Philadelphia’s blueprint this season and fans witnessed convincing flashes.
Dominick Barlow continued to impress off the boards. He tallied six rebounds in the first half, four of which came from the offensive glass. His positioning and motor yielded him multiple put-back buckets. The 76ers’ power forward spot has been in desperate need of size and rebounding for years and Barlow has fit the bill so far.
Tyrese Maxey erupted for 17 points in the opening frame. He shredded defenders off the dribble with shifty penetration and easily got to his spots. Maxey has operated with the shiniest of green lights in these exhibitions, which has helped him shake off any rust the offseason may have supplied.
Second quarter
With Philadelphia being so depleted, someone besides Maxey needed to shoulder the scoring load. Kelly Oubre Jr. volunteered and notched 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He caused chaos in the best of ways with immense rim pressure and forced turnovers. Oubre even splashed a spot-up corner three.
Goga Bitadze feasted on Philadelphia’s front-court – recording nine points and four rebounds in his first 10 minutes of action. Given the 76ers’ questionable size at the five, traditional big-body centers like Bitadze could prove to be trouble in non-Embiid minutes this season.
After playing the entire first quarter, Maxey’s night was over. Kennedy Chandler inherited some of the ball-handling duties and made the most of it. He called his own number, but not all of it was pretty. Chandler relentlessly sought the rim and forced turnovers, playing with a high motor on both ends. He finished with 16 points, five assists, and four steals.
Second half
While Justin Edwards shot 2-8 from the field and 1-4 from three, he had one of his better performances in recent memory. The Philadelphia native did little things such as keeping the ball moving and making impact plays defensively off the ball. Edwards will be at his best when playing alongside the gravity of the 76ers’ big three.
Emoni Bates made his preseason debut with zero points on 0-2 shooting from downtown. He didn’t have any notable plays on either end of the floor and likely didn’t earn himself a larger role in Philadelphia’s next exhibition.
Andre Drummond tallied his second three-pointer of the game in the third quarter. He finished the night shooting 2-2 from beyond the arc, finding success from the weak-side corners. This is a fun development that fans should take with a grain of salt.
Bona didn’t play much in the second half, which paved the way for Nurse to experiment with his center rotation. Johni Broome had productive minutes, which were headlined by quality post scoring and activity at the rim. Jabari Walker continued to showcase his connective passing and strong driving abilities, but appeared slow-footed defending one-on-one.
Philadelphia will close out the preseason by hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 17th at 7 p.m. EST.