Another bad shooting game saw the Sixers slump to their second defeat in two nights in Florida, as they lost by double digits to the Magic.
Despite Orlando star Dwight Howard spending most of the first half on the bench thanks to some early foul trouble, the 76ers failed to capitalise on controlling the boards, shooting just 35% as they went into the break behind 54-43.Howard (14pts) managed to stay on the court in the second half and he, Rashard Lewis (2opts) and Hedo Turkoglu (20pts) combined to give the Magic a 23 point lead in the third.
For the second night in succession, the 76ers mounted a fourth quarter fightback, getting back to within six thanks to some poor free-throw shooting by Howard, who went 2-8 down the stretch.
But once again it was not enough for Philly, who couldn't draw any closer as Orlando stayed strong to win their third game on the bounce (their 6th victory in their last seven games vs Philly.)
Four sixers starters made it into double figures, with Thaddeus Young compiling back-to-back 19 point games, whilst Samuel Dalembert had a double-double with 10 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.The two Andres, Iguodala (16points, 11 rebounds, eight assists) and Miller (15pts) also reached double digits but both shot poorly (4-12 and 7-24 respectively), as the team went under 40% from the floor for the second straight night.
The Magic (3-2) also became only the second team this season to prevent Elton Brand completing a double-double, using an effective double-team strategy to hold the forward to just six points and 12 boards.
At least the Sixers (2-4) managed to hold onto the ball better, committing nearly half as many turnovers as they did in Miami.
However this will be of little comfort to coach Maurice Cheeks, who will have to wait until Tuesday to see if his team can turn things around at home against the undefeated Utah Jazz.
No comments:
Post a Comment