76ers’ Four-Game Trip Shifts to Orlando | Gameday Report and Preview 30/82

The 76ers (20-9) continue their four-game road trip visiting the Orlando Magic (18-11) Wednesday.

The Sixers will seek a bounce-back victory after a shorthanded loss at Miami on Christmas, falling 119-113 in the absence of Joel Embiid (ankle) and Nico Batum (hamstring).

Philadelphia trailed by as many as 21 Monday, but fought back to erase that deficit in a competitive second half.

“We were in there with a chance down the stretch,” Nick Nurse said postgame. “We really fought hard, but we just didn’t play well enough to win on the road tonight.”

Tyrese Maxey attributes his team’s ability to get back into games to his coach, and to the group’s collective resilience.

“It’s a testimony to coach,” Maxey said. “He’ll adjust and change something up if he doesn’t like the way it’s going.”

“We have an extremely talented and an extremely hard-working group,” Maxey added. “Being down 12, being down 10, it doesn’t really phase guys. We don’t want to be down, but we know we have the talent, we have the firepower, we have the toughness to go out there and actually pull out games. And we’ve done that.”

The matchup features two of the Eastern Conference’s top four teams, with the Magic holding the No. 4 spot in the East, 1.5 games behind the No. 3 Sixers.

Embiid’s absence Monday created opportunity for Mo Bamba’s bench-high 18-point outing, also marking his season-high. Wednesday’s matchup with Orlando marks a homecoming for Bamba, who played for Orlando from 2018 until Feb. 2023, when he was traded to the Lakers.

It’s a matchup Bamba has been looking forward to.

“It’s family over there,” Bamba said Monday postgame. “Those are guys that I grew up with in the league. It’s going to be fun.”

OPPONENT OUTLOOK

The Magic (18-11) are 4-6 in their last 10 games, snapping a four-game skid with a win over Indiana Saturday. The Magic open a back-to-back Tuesday evening at Washington, before hosting the Sixers Wednesday.

Paolo Banchero leads Orlando in scoring (21.2 ppg), rebounding (6.9 rpg), and assists (4.5 apg) this season.

Orlando was one of the league’s bright surprises to start the season, beginning its run with a 14-6 record (including a nine-game winning streak) in its first 20 games.

Last season, the Magic finished 13th in the Eastern Conference, with a 34-48 record overall.

MONDAY’S KEY PERFORMANCES

Tobias Harris

• Harris finished with a team-high 27 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and a steal. Harris shot 10-for-18 from the field and 4-for-7 from long range.

Kelly Oubre Jr.

• Oubre scored 25 points, plus seven rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block. He shot 9-for-16 overall and 6-for-9 from deep.

Mo Bamba

• Bamba scored a bench-high 18 points, shooting a nearly-perfect 7-for-8 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from long range, along with six rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

FOLLOW ALONG

Wednesday’s matchup is a 7:00 p.m. ET start in Orlando.

Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia

Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic

UNIFORMS

The Sixers are scheduled to wear their white Association Edition uniforms, while Orlando will wear its navy blue City Edition uniforms.

@SIXERS SOCIAL