ORLANDO, Fla. – The 76ers didn't have their All-Star center Wednesday night, but they brought their defense with them.
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 had deflections and a lot of runouts. “It was the first time we tried different things 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 last 11 games.
“I think we definitely have to find a different style of play because it's so different when he's there, and the first couple (games) weren't great,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said. “Without Joel it’s all about playing well enough to give us a chance to win.”
Franz Wagner scored 24 points for the Magic, who were at 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 with 6 of 21 points from the field.
“I thought they did a really good job of clogging up the paint and our ability to deal with it,” 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 deal with it.
“You look great. We wouldn’t trade any of it,” he said. “These are shots we live with and we will take them every time. If you don’t take them, it looks crazy.”
Harris scored two goals 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 picking up his fourth foul with 7:04 left in the quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Banchero and Caleb Houstan brought the Magic back within three points with 9:36 left, but Harris and Melton hit 3s for the 76ers and Orlando never threatened again. The Magic only scored 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 because of two fouls.
“I stayed aggressive and let the game come to me a little more tonight,” he said. “The shots were falling, the same shots I’ve been making all year.”
NEXT
76ers: Visit Houston on Friday.
Magic: We're hosting New York on Friday.
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