Philadelphia (1-0) point guard Jrue Holiday made 12 of 14 shots for 27 points and showed off some new shooting range by making three 3-pointers. The Sixers were without center Andrew Bynum, who they acquired in the four-team trade that involved the Magic and Howard, because of knee troubles. The Magic don’t play again until Monday when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in Cincinnati. They then face the Detroit Pistons in another road game on Tuesday. The next home game is Friday, Oct. 19 against the Indiana Pacers. Vucevic came to the Magic this summer from the Sixers, making Thursday’s start extra special to him. Vaughn has raved about his ability to rebound outside of his area and he thrived on the boards once again with 10 rebounds (four offensive) in 20 minutes. ``To me, rebounding is more of a hustle play and I have to work hard on the boards to help this team,’’ said the 7-foot Vucevic, who also made six of eight shots. ``Rebounding is also about having a feel for where the ball is going to come off and going to get it.’’ Ayon, who was given the royal treatment over the weekend in Mexico City as just the third Mexican-born player to reach the NBA, has surprised the Magic with his ability to deftly pass the ball to open cutters and also hit seams to get open around the basket. He made four of seven shots, grabbed three of his six boards on the offensive end and made several more hustle plays to win over his teammates. But it’s his team-high five assists (tied with J.J. Redick) that he was most proud of. ``That’s something that’s natural and it’s nothing out of the ordinary for me,’’ Ayon said through an interpreter. ``I guess it comes from watching Magic Johnson all of those years.’’ Philadelphia led 59-58 at the break thanks to the remarkable shooting of Holiday, who had 19 first-half points. But the Magic countered with strong play from their starting frontline. Turkoglu made five of six shots and had 11 points in the first half. Vucevic showed off his soft hands by catching several passes in traffic and finishing at the rim. He had 10 points and seven rebounds by halftime – making it the second consecutive preseason game that he had at least seven rebounds in the opening half of play. ``I guess playing basketball comes natural to me. I’m from a basketball family and I’ve put a whole lot of work into the game,’’ Vucevic said. ``I just have to keep at it and keep improving.’’ Davis had nine points in the first half by getting to the free throw line five times. He attempted 10 free throws in the opening preseason game, something that is a good sign for the Magic because it means that he is attacking the basket rather than settling for jump shots. Led by Holiday’s vastly improved outside shooting, Philadelphia raced to a big early lead. The Sixers made five of seven 3-pointers in the first quarter – three of them coming from Holiday – and led by as much as eight early on. But the Magic clawed back into the game by spreading the ball around and attacking the Philadelphia defense from all angles. Six Magic players had at least two baskets in the first quarter, while nine players in all scored for an Orlando squad that made 64 percent of its shots in the first 12 minutes. Overall, Vaughn said the Magic made improvements from Game 1 to Game 2 in sharing the ball and shooting better, but took a step back with their transition defense. The Sixers had 24 fastbreak points – twice as many as the Magic. ``I did think we improved in various areas, but we had some setbacks as well,’’ said Vaughn, who played only one starter more than 26 minutes (Redick with 29 minutes). ``Our transition D was area (that got worse). And when the ball stops on offense, that’s when we get in trouble.’’ John Denton writes for OrlandoMagic.com. John has covered the Magic since 1997. E-mail John at jdenton@orlandomagic.com or follow him on Twitter at @JohnDenton555. ORLANDOMAGIC.COM FEATURES: Time for Davis to Shine | Raised Expectations for Afflalo | First Practice Filled With Energy & Enthusiasm | Roster Breakdown | Magic Not Accepting Term 'Rebuilding' | Ten Burning Questions Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Orlando Magic. All opinions expressed by John Denton are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Orlando Magic or their Basketball Operations staff, partners or sponsors. His sources are not known to the Magic and he has no special access to information beyond the access and privileges that go along with being an NBA accredited member of the media.
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