ORLANDO – The Philadelphia 76ers will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back set of games and superstars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons could be game-time decisions to play because of load management and injury issues.
None of that, however, matters much for an Orlando Magic team in desperate need of a victory and one determined to focus on its own issues prior to tonight’s 7 p.m. tipoff.
Orlando (3-7) has dropped five of its last six games and is hoping to regain its dominance at the Amway Center while in the midst of the longest home stand of the season. The Magic opened their 10-day, five-game home stand with a defeat of the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday, but they fell 109-102 to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday because of second-half struggles and some uncharacteristically poor defense.
For those reasons, the Magic know they need to be more concerned more with themselves than the Sixers (7-3) prior to tonight’s tipoff.
``That’s the biggest thing – we’re not worried about who’s playing and who’s not,’’ said Magic point guard Markelle Fultz, who will be facing a Philadelphia team that drafted him first overall in 2017 and traded him to Orlando last February. ``At the end of the day, we’ve got to worry about our team and getting better. We’ve got to get a win and protect home court. It shouldn’t matter who is playing. The mindset should be about us playing as hard as we can to get the `W.��’’
Philadelphia got a 98-97 win over Cleveland on Tuesday when Embiid capped a 27-point night by dunking with 13.2 seconds remaining. The Sixers have tried to be judicious in their use of the all-star 7-footer, and they could rest him tonight in Orlando so that he will be ready when they play next on Friday in Oklahoma City.
Simmons returned to action on Tuesday after missing the previous two games with a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder. The left-handed point guard had 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks in 35 minutes. Veteran power forward Al Horford, Philadelphia’s primary pickup in free agency last July, was rested on Tuesday, but is expected to play tonight against the Magic. His return, in theory, could allow the Sixer to rest Embiid tonight.
``In the morning, we always prepare as if everybody is going to play,’’ Magic coach Steve Clifford said. ``(The Sixers) take away the threes and they steal the ball. They’re unique in that way and they have so much length. Then, Embiid’s ability to handle the basket by himself (defensively) allows other guys to stay home. So, you’ve got to be able to attack their (center) drop (defense) and have good movement on the perimeter. And if you are going to play well tonight, we’ll have to get a lot of cutting baskets.’’
The Magic are also well aware that if they ultimately want to become the team that gets to the playoffs for a second straight season, they will need to be more solid defensively. They leaned on that defense to stay competitive early on while the offense was struggling. However, with the offense finally hitting on all cylinders in Sunday’s game against Indiana, the Magic’s usually reliable defense left them. Orlando did block a season-best 12 shots, but it still surrendered 52.2 percent shooting, nine 3-pointers and 48 points in the paint to the Pacers in an ugly loss.
``The other night we were fourth (in the NBA) offensively, but for only the second time out of 10, we didn’t defend,’’ Clifford said of his team’s defense. ``Whether things are going well … part of (the defensive struggles) were that we had played so well offensively and we never got into our defensive game. Offense can frustrate you and impact your defense and sometimes when you are scoring, you don’t defend as hard. But, no matter what, we need to defend every night.’’
Tonight’s game will allow the 21-year-old Fultz to face many of the players he came into the NBA with while playing for the Sixers. Because of a Thoracic Outlet Syndrome injury in his right shoulder, Fultz played just 14 games as a rookie and only 19 last season before the Sixers made the decision to cut ties with him. The Magic not only brazenly traded for the 6-foot-4, 209-pound guard, but they stood by him throughout the end of last season and over the summer while he worked to get his shoulder fully healthy.
Fultz’s playing time has been kept at roughly 24 minutes a night as the Magic try to slowly work Fultz back into the grind of a long NBA season. In 10 games of playing in mostly short bursts, he’s averaged 9.7 points, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals. The Magic are far happier about his overall field goal percentage (47.1 percent) and his free throw form (78.6 percent) than his continued struggles from the 3-point arc (18.2 percent).
Fultz is thankful that he got the chance to restart his career in Orlando and he’s tried to take full advantage of the recent starting nod he has gotten.
``I just think, first of all, I took the time to recover and make sure that I was healthy,’’ Fultz said. ``Second of all, I just think it’s a matter of opportunity and the place that I’m in (mentally) when I’m on the floor. I think it’s just a combination of both, really. And I’ve just gotten the opportunity to do what I wanted to do and I’m taking advantage of it.’’
While he greatly appreciated the support provided by the likes of Embiid, Simmons and Sixers coach Brett Brown during his time in Philadelphia, Fultz admitted he will be going hard at those players – while mixing in a bit of playful trash talk – in hopes of nabbing a victory tonight for the Magic. When the two teams met in preseason action on Oct. 13, Fultz played especially well while scoring 12 points, handing out five assists and swiping two steals.
``It’s all a business, so it’s no grudge hold or nothing like that, but there’s definitely going to be an edge of, `This is who I am, this is who you drafted,’’’ Fultz admitted. ``I think we all know that, but it’s about going out there and having fun and playing.
``Like I said, when I’m out there it’s no grudge and I’m trying to win,’’ he added. ``I’m doing whatever I can to win. If I get the `W’ that will satisfy that grudge match for me. If I don’t get the win, I didn’t win in my eyes. So, that’s my goal – to go out there and get the win and have fun.’’
And if the usually gregarious Embiid does indeed play and has some friendly banter for Fultz …
``He’s going to be telling me to shoot it and talking trash. That’s what we did all the time when we were in practice together,’’ Fultz said. ``I’m ready for it and I’ve got some stuff for him, too. But it should be a fun, entertaining game tonight. … I’m going to talk trash regardless (of whether Embiid plays), no matter where we’re at. It just goes back to having fun.’’
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