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NBA: Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 32 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists after an apparent injury scare in the first half and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 125-113 on Friday night in a critical game for Eastern Conference playoff seedings.
Tyrese Maxey scored 28 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 21 as Philadelphia (46-36) won its seventh straight game.
Orlando, Indiana and Philadelphia each have a record of 46-35 after the Pacers lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 on Friday night and are in fifth, sixth and seventh places, respectively, in the conference.
Franz Wagner scored 24 points, Paolo Banchero had 22 and Jalen Suggs 20 for Orlando (46-35), which has lost three straight games.
“We just need one win and we’re good,” Wagner said. “One more game and we have to focus on that one and get a win.”
The Magic struggled in the first quarter, trailing 40-27 and facing an uphill fight the rest of the way. The Magic closed within six in the fourth, but could never get over the hump.
“We have to start the games better,” Orlando head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “You can’t give up 40 points in the first quarter and crawl your way out. The energy and effort was there on the back stretch, but you can’t give 40 points and slow starts to get the game going and keep climbing up the hill all night.”
Embiid controlled the first half, posting 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in 17 minutes in his fifth game back after missing 29 games with a left meniscus injury. But, after driving to the lane for a layup in the final two minutes of the half, Embiid appeared to land awkwardly on his left knee.
While play continued, Embiid limped to midcourt and gave up on the play. After Philadelphia head coach Nick Nurse called timeout, Embiid went straight to the Sixers’ locker room. B
“We had to try to keep playing and finish off the half, which we did,” Maxey said. “We got back here (in the locker room) to see if he was alright, and it was a blessing. He was good to go.”
Embiid returned to the lineup and promptly hit a 3-pointer on his first touch of…
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Author : NBC Sports
Publish date : 2024-04-13 07:07:42
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