76ers’ winning streaks magically disappear in 119-109 loss to Orlando

The 76ers’ winning streaks are dead.

The Orlando Magic battled back from a 21-point deficit to defeat the Sixers, 119-109, Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers (32-17) had their NBA-best, seven-game winning streak snapped. They had won 20 of their previous 24 games. And the setback also snapped their 10-game series winning streak over the Magic (20-31). Orlando’s previous victory came on Dec. 27, 2019.

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Orlando dominated the Sixers over the last 2 ½ quarters while pulling off the huge upset.

“From the middle of the first quarter on, I thought they played harder, faster, tougher, more physical,” said coach Doc Rivers, whose Sixers dropped to third place in the Eastern Conference standings with the loss. “And I thought they deserved to win the game.”

The Magic did most of their damage in the third quarter, shooting 61.5%. That was a big turnaround from shooting just 25.9% in the first quarter. An inability to stop Mo Wagner in the fourth quarter also halted the Sixers’ comeback bid. The Magic reserve center scored 14 of the Magic’s 25 points in the final quarter.

Meanwhile, the Sixers shot 36.8 % — including going 1-for-7 on three-pointers — and committed five turnovers in the fourth quarter. They had 19 turnovers total.

“I mean, blowing a 21-point lead is hard to do,” Joel Embiid said. “I mean obviously, turnovers ... We just got to be better.”

Standout rookie Paolo Banchero paced the Magic with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Mo Wagner added 22 points and six rebounds while going 10-for-10 from the foul line. His brother, Franz, added 19 points.

Former Sixer Markelle Fultz had 12 points and a game-high 10 assists in his first game at The Center since being traded to Orlando on Feb. 7, 2019.

Embiid finished with game highs of 30 points and 11 rebounds, but committed six costly turnovers. James Harden had 17 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tobias Harris finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Matisse Thybulle added 10 points while making 2 of 3 three-pointers off the bench for the Sixers.

The Sixers scored the game’s first eight points before Fultz responded with a jumper. He added the Magic’s second basket to make it a 12-4 game a couple of possessions later.

But then the Sixers responded with five quick points to take a 13-point cushion with 6 minutes, 55 seconds left in the quarter. At that point, Fultz was shooting 2-for-3 while his teammates were 0-for-9.

Gary Harris made the first non-Fultz basket on a three-pointer to pull the Magic within 14 points with 4:33 left in the quarter.

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It had all the signs of a long night for the Magic, who missed their first five shots and 17 of their first 20. Taking advantage, the Sixers extended their cushion to 21 points in the second quarter in what was expected to be a lopsided victory.

However, the Sixers then appeared to stop playing defense. They also looked more focused on hunting shots instead of having solid ball movement. That enabled the Magic, who shot 50% in the second quarter, to end the half on a 14-3 run.

“You have to respect everyone in the NBA,” said Thybulle, acknowledging the Sixers got too comfortable after building the 21-point lead. “When you come into a game, expecting to win and get up big early, it takes a lot of mental toughness to continue playing the way you are playing, and being able to adjust as well when they make their runs.”

Orlando continued to outplay the Sixers in the third quarter, scoring 42 points to take a 94-90 cushion into the fourth quarter. Banchero scored 14 of his points in the quarter on 5-for-9 shooting.

“He played well,” Harden said. “He made shots, big-time shots. He finished around the rim, made threes. And he did a little bit of everything.”

The Sixers regained the lead, 97-95, on Thybulle’s three-pointer with 9:42 left.

After the teams traded baskets, the Magic then built a 106-101 lead with 6:42 remaining after Mo Wagner’s three-point play.

The Sixers will entertain the Magic on Wednesday in the second game of their two-game series at The Center.