Beginning a three-game road trip, the Philadelphia 76ers traveled down to Orlando for a matchup against the Magic in a battle between the fifth and sixth seeds in the Eastern Conference. Behind Tyrese Maxey's 29 points, the Sixers overcame early shooting struggles to claim a 103-91 victory over the Magic.
A week that began on a down note has quickly become magical for the Sixers after victories over the Wizards and on the road in Orlando. Philadelphia admittedly faced three short-handed squads, but you play who's on the schedule, and the manner in which they won is arguably more important than the victories.
Tyrese Maxey's success speaks for itself, as it has all season. The rising star remains one of the most electric players in the NBA this season and has transformed the team's energy over the offseason.
It's not just the next generation of Sixers — those being VJ Edgecombe, Jared McCain, Adem Bona and more — who have taken Maxey's message to heart, but the veterans as well, which is often far more difficult a crowd to impact, especially for a leader who is just 25 years old.
Collectively, the team has adopted a mentality of accountability and effort, committing to playing with pace, moving the ball, and, most importantly, playing with energy and effort on both ends of the court.
Paul George continues to impress, even on a night that saw him miss all seven of his attempts from deep. George's continued effort defensively and his consistent improvement as a slasher give the impression he's made a deal with Father Time, or more accurately, is as close to being fully healthy as he's been since signing with the Sixers.
Joel Embiid also continues to show improvement on both ends. His defensive effort remains inconsistent, as he continues to play with his health in mind, but Embiid is slowly playing with increasing confidence on both ends. Offensively, Embiid nearly looks like he never left. It's a lot to suggest that suddenly Embiid will be able to play a starring role in a postseason contender, but considering where expectations for Embiid were when the season began, to see him reach this level of play feels like it would have been. a miracle this time last year or even just six months ago.
Together and alongside Philadelphia's well-stocked assortment of high-energy depth pieces, the Sixers overcame their slow start to put on a defensive masterclass by the end of the matchup, holding the Magic to just 37 second-half points, 12 in the final quarter, including a stretch of nearly five minutes without a basket.
Philadelphia's Big 3 and their defense came together to play once again, showing how high this team can soar when everything goes right. Tougher tests will lie ahead, even as early as the upcoming week, but the Sixers have proven themselves worthy of being included among the East's elite.
Philadelphia heads north of the border for back-to-back matchups against the Toronto Raptors. It won't come easy, but the Sixers find themselves in a position to surpass the Raptors in the standings after already gaining a game on Toronto between this Philly win and a Raptors loss to Boston Friday night.
It would be shocking for Embiid to play both games and extremely surprising for Paul George to do the same, so this upcoming series will be an opportunity for the team to flex their depth and for recent returnees Kelly Oubre and Trendon Watford to stretch their legs a bit.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. EST. on Sunday evening from the Scotiabank Arena.
