Magic-76ers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSON
Posted Jan 30 2012 10:19AM

Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy is running out of ideas to help solve his team's offensive woes.

A visit to Philadelphia may not be the answer.

The 76ers have used one of the league's top defenses to compile a sterling home record, but they'll be trying to end a six-game home losing streak against Orlando when they seek a rare win in the series Monday night.

The Magic (12-8) scored 100 or more points in eight of their first 13 games en route to a 10-3 start, but they've topped 92 just once over their last seven contests. They've dropped five of those seven while averaging 81.1 points on 38.8 percent shooting.

Orlando had one of its better recent shooting performances Sunday at 48.4 percent, but shot a season-low 44.8 percent (13 of 29) from the free-throw line in a 106-85 home loss to Indiana. The Magic committed 19 turnovers and finished with 24 fewer field-goal attempts than the Pacers en route to their third consecutive defeat overall.

With 24 points, All-Star center Dwight Howard was the only Orlando player to score more than 14.

"We're in a real tough stretch and guys are playing poorly," Van Gundy said. "I don't know what else we can do. ... It's easy to find the reasons. The hard part is to make it better. That's frustrating to me as a coach."

What could add to the Magic's frustration is a matchup with the 76ers, who are allowing 87.0 points per game and 41.8 percent shooting in their second season under Doug Collins.

Philadelphia (14-6) has held its last two opponents to fewer than 75 points, most recently in a 95-74 win over Detroit on Saturday in which the Pistons shot 34.9 percent.

Andre Iguodala had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his eighth career triple-double and first this season while helping the Sixers improve to 10-2 at home. Lou Williams scored a team-high 17 points off the bench for the third straight contest.

"To me, winning is the most important thing," Iguodala said. "As long as we are continuing to win, that's most important. Stats are nice and I'm happy to get the triple-double, but I'm most pleased that we got another win."

Philadelphia hasn't won often lately against the Magic, dropping 15 of the last 17 matchups. It's lost 10 of 11 at home in the series.

The Magic will be trying to avoid matching their longest skid from last season, but they'll be playing once again without starting point guard Jameer Nelson.

The point guard missed Sunday's game with concussion-like symptoms after taking a blow to the head and jaw during a 93-67 loss at New Orleans on Friday.

Philadelphia center Spencer Hawes has missed the last seven games with a strained left Achilles', while rookie forward Nikola Vucevic has been sidelined for the last four with a left leg injury.

Hawes' absence might make it easier for Howard to continue his recent success in Philadelphia. He's averaged 24.0 points and 62.2 percent shooting in his last three games there, recording a double-double each time.

Iguodala shines in 76ers' 74-69 win over Magic

By DAN GELSTON
Posted Jan 31 2012 12:36AM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) The 76ers had one of their worst performances of the season to open a rugged stretch on the schedule.

It was good enough to beat slumping Orlando.

Still, the surprising Sixers know they'll have to play better if they want to prove they're for real during a 10-day stretch of games against some of the top teams in the NBA.

Andre Iguodala had 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead Philadelphia to its third straight win, 74-69 over the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

The Sixers raced to their best start in nearly a decade by taking advantage of a soft schedule for the first third of the season, but it gets tough from here. Orlando was the first opponent in a long run of games against winning teams that includes home games this week against Chicago and Miami.

Led by Iguodala's burst in the third quarter, the Sixers (15-6) outlasted the stumbling Magic and won despite posting their lowest point total of the season. Dwight Howard's 17 points and 11 rebounds weren't enough in Orlando's fourth straight loss.

The Sixers shot 38 percent from the floor, 27 percent from 3-point range and 53 percent from the foul line, some of their worst numbers of the season.

"I would have not bet on us winning that game tonight," with those numbers, coach Doug Collins said.

After Chicago and Miami, the Sixers play Saturday at Atlanta. They return home next week for games against the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers.

"That was a much-needed win for us here with what we have ahead of us this week," Collins said.

Howard wants out of Orlando and criticized his teammates Friday for not playing hard enough in a loss to New Orleans. He missed eight of 13 free throws overall against Philadelphia and the Magic missed 14 of 17 shots from the floor in the third. Ryan Anderson had 14 points and 20 rebounds.

After losing to the lowly Hornets, Howard said his teammates should just stay in the locker room if they didn't want to play.

Orlando's star center said it's OK to rip his team even though he'd like to be traded.

"It's not the first time I've called them out," Howard said. "As a leader, you've got to do things that people don't like. People hate what they don't understand. My teammates understand why I said what I said. They all agree. It's not like, `Oh, Dwight's wrong with what he said.' But that's with anything. My job is to challenge my teammates and challenge myself to go out and play every night."

The Magic missed nine straight shots during a 6-minute stretch in the third that allowed the Sixers to build a double-digit lead. Jodie Meeks hit a 3-pointer for a 53-40 lead and the 76ers withstood three late 3s by Orlando that trimmed the final margin.

The Magic scored only nine points in the third quarter. Howard had all three baskets.

With 6 minutes left in the game, the Magic had yet to reach 50 points.

"We're still a great basketball team, we're just going through a tough stretch. That's it," Howard said. "There's no need for us to complain or point the finger or for anybody to panic. We're going to be fine."

Long the fourth pro team in Philadelphia, the improved Sixers are winning back fans one victory at a time. They improved to 11-2 at home in front one of their largest crowds of the season (16,299). Heading into a timeout in the third, the Atlantic Division leaders walked off toward the huddle to a standing ovation.

Coming off a triple-double against Detroit on Saturday, Iguodala fell four assists shy of a repeat effort. The rest of the Sixers struggled to score, but Philadelphia didn't need to do much against an Orlando team that has completely unraveled. Evan Turner scored 12 points for the Sixers and Thaddeus Young had 10.

Sixers first-year CEO Adam Aron mingled with fans as the team's retro theme song was blasted for the enthusiastic crowd. Aron and the new ownership group have overhauled the game-night atmosphere, but the biggest change has come on the court.

They'll need more than a catchy tune to get through the next two weeks.

Fans yelled "On the list!" at Howard, a reference to placing the Sixers on his short list of teams where he'd like to be traded.

Asked if he'd put the blossoming Sixers on the list, Howard simply said it was a blessing to be wanted by teams.

Before the game, Howard walked around the locker room with a brick in each hand, playfully swinging them around and yelling, "I'm going to knock somebody in the head!"

He shot more bricks from the free throw line, not a total surprise considering he shoots 46 percent from the line.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said he needs to find answers to stop the losing.

"We have to address the issues at hand," he said. "I don't know if it's fatigue. I just know we are not playing well. Clearly, we have some things to address on offense."

Notes: Magic point guard Jameer Nelson did not travel with the team, sidelined with concussion-like symptoms after taking an inadvertent blow to the head and jaw in Orlando's loss at New Orleans on Friday. Van Gundy said Nelson could be sidelined another week. ... The 76ers played again without starting center Spencer Hawes (left Achilles strain) and his backup, rookie Nik Vucevic (left quad strain). ... Iguodala moved into fourth place on the team's career steals list, passing Charles Barkley. ... Orlando's nine points in the third was the low against Philly for a quarter.

Notebook: Sixers 74, Magic 69

By Andy Jasner, for NBA.com
Posted Monday January 30, 2012 10:39PM

THE FACTS: The 76ers continued their torrid play at the Wells Fargo Center with a 74-69 victory over the reeling Orlando Magic Monday night. Andre Iguodala had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists, Evan Turner scored 12 points and the Sixers improved to 15-6 overall and 11-2 at home. They also snapped a maddening six-game home losing streak to the Magic. The final score was deceiving with some late points by the Magic when the game was well in hand.

Orlando scored 56 points on Jan. 23 against the Boston Celtics and managed just 69 -- 36 in the second half -- against a scrappy Sixers defense. Dwight Howard registered his 16th double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds while Ryan Anderson contributed 14 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. But the Magic losing streak reached four as they fell to 12-9.

QUOTABLE: "That was a much-needed win for us here with what we have ahead of us this week."
-- Sixers coach Doug Collins.

THE STAT: The Sixers committed only seven turnovers. They continue to lead the league in fewest turnovers per game.

TURNING POINT: The Sixers elevated their level of play in the third quarter, especially on defense. They extended a 37-33 halftime lead to 58-42 at the end of the third thanks to a tenacious defensive effort and timely shooting. The Sixers out-hustled the Magic and the fans responded with a standing ovation.

HOT: Turner (4-for-7) and veteran center Tony Battie (3-for-5) gave the Sixers a nice lift with clutch shooting.

NOT: Magic guard J.J. Redick never found his rhythm in going 3-for-13. All three of his field goals were 3-pointers. He missed all 10 shots from inside the arc.

QUOTABLE II: "We're very happy with the win. We need to learn to keep the momentum going when we build a big lead."
-- Sixers forward Thaddeus Young.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Iguodala continued his strong all-around play following Saturday's triple-double against the Detroit Pistons. This time, Iguodala had 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. He was a calming influence when the Sixers needed it most.

INSIDE THE ARENA: There was quite an enthusiastic crowd of 16,299 for Monday's matchup with the Magic. The fans have been anticipating this week for some time, which also includes games against the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday and Miami Heat on Friday. Sixers owner Joshua Harris watched the action from a front-row seat.

QUOTABLE III: "If we're not getting good pick-and-roll play, we're going to struggle."
-- Magic coach Stan Van Gundy.

GOOD MOVE: The Sixers attacked Howard and made him work on the defensive end. Elton Brand and Battie did a nice job of looking for their offense, despite Howard's presence in the middle.

BAD MOVE: Orlando's offense stalled in too many halfcourt sets. There wasn't nearly enough movement. When you're struggling for points, the ball has to move around the perimeter and go inside and out more often.

ROOKIE WATCH: All three Magic rookies didn't play -- guard DeAndre Liggins, forward Justin Harper and center Daniel Orton. Sixers forward Nikola Vucevic dressed after missing the past four games with a left knee quad strain. But he was not used. However, forward Lavoy Allen was scoreless in 16:46, though he did sweep five rebounds and added three assists.

NOTABLE: The Sixers won for the 13th time in the month of January, their first 13-win month since November of 2002 when they went 13-3. ... Iguodala moved into fourth place on the Sixers' all-time steals list during the win against the Magic. Iguodala's 1,008th steal pushed him past Charles Barkley and into fourth, trailing only Maurice Cheeks (1,942), Allen Iverson (1,644) and Julius Erving (1,508). ... The Magic missed nine straight shots during a six-minute stretch in the third. ... Orlando played without point guard Jameer Nelson (concussion-like symptoms) and guard Jason Richardson (rest). ... The Sixers were without center Spencer Hawes for the eighth straight game with a strained left Achilles. ... The Magic were 10-for-22 from the free throw line. ... The Sixers scored a season-low 74 points, and the last time they had 74 or fewer points in a victory was Nov. 30, 1999 against the New York Knicks. ... Eleven of Anderson's 20 rebounds came off the offensive glass. He's the first Orlando player other than Howard to grab 20 rebounds in a game since Ben Wallace had 20 at New Jersey on April 14, 2000.

NEXT: For the Magic, Wednesday vs. Washington, Friday vs. Cleveland, Saturday @ Indiana. For the Sixers, Wednesday vs. Chicago, Friday vs. Miami, Saturday @ Atlanta.

• Magic: Nelson, Richardson
• 76ers: Hawes

• Magic: --
• 76ers: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 3

• Arena: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
• Officials: #58 Josh Tiven, #24 Mike Callahan, #65 Sean Wright
• Attendance: 16299
• Duration: 2:10