Sixers complete sweep of Magic with 133-103 road victory

ORLANDO — The 76ers headed back to Philadelphia on a high note Sunday night.

They completed a two-game sweep of the Orlando Magic with a 133-103 victory at the Amway Center.

Sweeping the struggling Magic (5-15) might not seem like a big deal to most. But two straight wins in consecutive games against an opponent was a first for the Sixers this season. It also propelled them to two games over .500 for the first time.

In prior two-game sets, the Sixers (11-9) had split with the Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, and Atlanta Hawks.

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But the Sixers left little doubt Sunday, shooting 64.9% and leading by as many as 33 points. They had a season-high 32 assists on 50 made baskets. Their 133 points were also a season high.

“It’s just our defense and our ball movement; the ball finds the open guy,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought early on, it was our guards shooting and then our bigs rolling.”

It’s hard to tell that Shake Milton wasn’t in the starting rotation at the beginning of the season.

The point guard had another stellar performance on Sunday, scoring a season-high 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting. Milton also had a game-high seven assists to go with four rebounds and a steal. Twelve of his points came in the second quarter — on 4-for-4 shooting to go with four assists — as the Sixers outscored Orlando, 31-13.

“Being aggressive and picking my spots,” Milton said of what’s led to his success while starting the last five games in place of Tyrese Maxey (left foot fracture). “My teammates do a really good job of telling me to go, telling me to be aggressive.”

He exited the game to applause from his teammates on the bench with 3 minutes, 49 seconds left. Milton scored in a variety of ways: three-pointers, jumpers, and on strong drives to the basket.

Tobias Harris was also hot.

The forward finished with 25 points, scoring 18 in the first half. Meanwhile, reserve center Paul Reed had a career-high 13 rebounds to go with 12 points in his hometown.

“Yeah, man, I was out the mud with 13 rebounds,” Reed said.

The Sixers attacked the basket, routinely scoring on layups and dunks against the taller Magic players. They held a 72-44 advantage in points in the paint, scoring 38 of them in the first half.

That enabled them to take a commanding 67-45 halftime lead while shooting 65.9% from the field. The Sixers broke the game open with a 35-9 run that put them up, 58-39, with 3:51 left in the half.

Eight of the nine Sixers who saw action in the first half scored. Harris did the most damage on 7-for-10 shooting, including making both of his three-pointers.

Attacking the basket was part of the game plan.

“We just kept throwing it ahead,” Rivers said. “They have so much size. So we talked about if we rebound, just grab the ball and chuck it ahead and whoever gets it, attack, get in the paint and make plays.

“We showed that on film yesterday and today and then they did it today.”

Danuel House Jr. had a little scare on a breakaway dunk in the first quarter.

The swingman was bumped by Paolo Banchero while in the air. House, who got his forearm in the rim, came crashing down to the court after the powerful dunk with 1:27 left in the first quarter. He grimaced in pain, lying on the floor momentarily before hitting the foul shot.

“He took my legs a little bit, but it’s all right,” said House, who finished with a season-high 19 points. “He asked me about it. He was like, ‘I apologize to you. I wasn’t trying [to hurt House].’ So it’s cool. We’re good.”

House fell because Banchero kneed him in the calf, leading to his landing at a bad angle. He took an ibuprofen and kept a hot pad on his calf while out of the game.

P.J. Tucker was back in the starting lineup after sitting out the fourth quarter of Friday’s game with left ankle soreness.

The forward finished with one rebound and one assist and was a plus-13 while playing 15:48 in the first half. However, Tucker, who noticeably battled through some pain, sat out the second half with the ankle soreness.

They were several times when he sprinted gingerly on defense and grimaced during fast breaks on offense. House replaced him in the starting lineup in the second half. Tucker spent the first part of the third quarter seated on the bench with the shoelaces of his left sneaker untied. He then limped around during a timeout with 8:01 left in the quarter. Tucker left the bench and went to the locker room shortly afterward.

Sunday marked the fourth straight game that the Sixers were without all three of their leading scorers in Joel Embiid, James Harden, and Maxey.

Embiid missed the four games with a left foot sprain and is listed as day-to-day. Harden has missed 11 games with a right foot tendon strain. He could return at some point this week. And Maxey is expected to return next month.

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But don’t expect the Magic to feel sorry for the Sixers. They’re dealing with their share of injuries, too.

Former Sixer Markelle Fultz (left big toe fracture), Cole Anthony (right internal oblique tear), Wendell Carter Jr. (right foot plantar fascia strain), Jonathan Isaac (left knee injury recovery), Chuma Okeke (left knee soreness), and Jalen Suggs (right ankle soreness) were all sidelined with injuries.

Then, Mo Bamba (back spasms) and Terrence Ross (illness) didn’t play after intermission.