Sixers Dominate in Win Over Magic

The Sixers have ended the year 2020 on a high note. They have advanced to 4-1 on the year, beating the Orlando Magic by a final score of 116-92.

This was a dominant win all around from the Sixers, as they were in control of the game from start to finish. A win like this should boost their confidence playing on the road moving forward, which is an area they struggled with last year.

Heading into this game the Sixers were in a bit of a dry spell from deep, but it would come to an end against the Magic. Eight different Sixers would hit a three in this one en route to the team shooting 45.5% from beyond. Even Ben Simmons got in on the action, making his first three of the season.

The center matchup was one thing to watch in this game, and the all-star big men did not waste any time going at each other. Joel Embiid would have another dominant game on Thursday, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds on 7-11 shooting in three quarters. Former Sixer Nikola Vucevic would end the night with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Two other Sixers would join Embiid breaking the 20 point mark. Tobias Harris followed up a stellar performance against the Raptors with 20 points, nine rebounds, and three assists against the Magic. Seth Curry continues to find his footing with his new team as well. He would end with 21 points on just 12 shot attempts, including five makes from deep.

Along with their strong playing great on the offensive end, their defense was just as good. Orlando finished the game shooting 34.7% from the field, and just 25% from deep.

Defending at the rim has been something this team has done well in recent games, mainly due to Embiid anchoring at the rim. In this game, the Magic shot just 9-29 at shots in the lane outside of the restricted area. Embiid continues to show that he is a premiere rim protector in this league.

In a condensed season like this, it is always good to have a blowout win and get your stars off their feet early. After the game head coach Doc Rivers would talk about this, referring to it as "old school load management."

After this win the Sixers find themselves on a two game winning streak, and have won three of their last four games. They will be back in action on Saturday facing off against LaMelo Ball and the Charolette Hornets.