ORLANDO - Rarely do opponents outscore the Orlando Magic in the paint, a category they rank No. 2 in.
But that’s precisely what happened Wednesday, as the Philadelphia 76ers, even without reigning league MVP Joel Embiid, outscored the Magic by 18 in the paint in Orlando’s 112-92 loss at Kia Center.
“They just showed their help early,” Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “I thought they did a really good job of plugging the paint. Our ability to navigate that; we did a great job early on finding cuts, finding movements. You have to give them credit for recognizing the gameplan in that and executing it at a high level.”
Only three Magic players scored in double figures. Franz Wagner led with a game-high 24 points, while Jalen Suggs scored 20 and Paolo Banchero had 19.
The Magic within striking distance early in the fourth quarter before the Sixers went on a 26-6 run to seal it.
Besides the 58-40 paint scoring disparity, turnovers were a big problem for the Magic, who coughed it up 16 times.
“Going back and looking at the film tonight we will do for sure. Off the top of my head, it’s trying to force the pass when it’s not there,” Mosley said of the turnovers. “I think that’s a big portion of it. Teams are packing the paint. We are seeing different coverages in the zone. So I think just being able to trust the easy, early passes is probably the one thing I can recall from tonight.”
Orlando’s 92 points were a season low, and their 39.2 percent field goal shooting was their third worst mark of the year.
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 23 points, while former Magic player Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton each scored 22 points. The Sixers, who have the league’s second-best offense, shot 46.9 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from 3-point distance.
Markelle Fultz (knee), Joe Ingles (ankle), Jonathan Isaac (hamstring) and Gary Harris (calf) were all out for the Magic. Embiid (ankle) and Nicolas Batum (hamstring) were unavailable for the Sixers.
The Magic are 8-11 against teams this season that are currently at least .500 and 10-1 against teams that are presently below .500.
Orlando will play another above .500 team on Friday at 7 p.m. when they host the New York Knicks. This will be the first of four meetings this season between them.