Sixers-Magic: JJ Redick leads the way, and other quick thoughts from a 130-111 win

Heading into the game Redick hadn't hit more than three three-pointers in a game since Nov. 3 against the Pacers when he sank a season-high eight threes. He returned to sharp-shooting form against his former team tying his season-high mark. He finished with a game-high 29 points on 10-of-18 shooting including 8-of-12 from three. Redick was just one trey short of his career high which he set on Jan. 18, 2016 when he was with the Clippers. On that night he had nine threes for a career-high 40 points against the Rockets.

[Sixers defeat Orlando, 130-111]

Without Ben Simmons, who was sidelined with a left elbow injury, and with Joel Embiid playing but dealing with a cold, the responsibility was on the rest of the team to pick up the slack. Beating Orlando right now might not be the most impressive win because the Magic came into the game on a seven-game losing streak. But, the Magic played better than they have been and put together a couple of runs. All of this to say that this is a different Sixers team and they were prepared to step up with everybody who played contributing to the win. In the situation, with the injuries and limitations, the Sixers played unselfishly and won their third straight. Along with the notable standouts, it would be a mistake not to mention the quiet but dominant performances of Robert Covington and Dario Saric who combined for 35 points in the victory.

The pressure was on for McConnell who started in place of Simmons. He admitted Friday that there was no way he could fill Simmons' shoes, but that if he played his game and got people open that he thought the Sixers would be fine. He did, and they were. He finished with 15 points, 13 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals for his sixth career double-double.

As stated before, this was a true team win, and the Sixers needed everything they could get. Against the Jazz, Bayless had just five points in his first game back from injury, then he went scoreless against the Trail Blazers. In his third game back after a six-game absence, Bayless had his sixth double-digit outing of the season with 14 points and four assists in 26:13 off the bench.

The Sixers lead the league in rebounds per game (48.6 per game heading into Saturday's game). Missing the length, size, and rebounding skill of Simmons meant they could have dipped under that average, but they did not. As with the scoring contributions, every player on the floor contributed to the Sixers winning the battle of the boards 53-41.