Sixers takeaways: Mounting injuries, poor defense, and more from blowout loss to the Magic

The 76ers are literally breaking down.

They still need to do a better job of keeping opposing teams out of the paint.

One of the Sixers’ few positives is that Andre Drummond continues to be a rebounding machine.

And when it comes to availability, things haven’t changed since last season for Joel Embiid and Paul George.

Those things stood out in Tuesday’s 144-103 NBA Cup loss to the Orlando Magic at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey more concerned about his friend’s health than having Joel Embiid back on the court

This was the Sixers’ worst loss of the season.

They had no answers for the Magic on a night when the home crowd of 19,746 booed them loudly over the last three quarters. Fans even began heading for the exits at the conclusion of the third quarter. And with the Sixers down 42 in the fourth quarter, the remaining fans chanted, ‘We want Kyle,’ in reference to Sixers reserve point guard Kyle Lowry, who’s in his 20th season.

The Sixers (9-8, 0-3 East Group B) hobbled into their group play game against the Magic (11-8, 3-0).

Tyrese Maxey and Dominick Barlow, who started the first two games in place of George, were the Sixers’ only available starters from the opening day lineup.

Embiid (soreness in right knee), George (sprained right ankle), Kelly Oubre Jr. (sprained left knee), VJ Edgecombe (left calf strain), along with reserve center Adem Bona (sprained right ankle) missed the game.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid, Paul George miss Sixers’ NBA Cup matchup with Orlando Magic

The Sixers’ able bodies shrunk when Trendon Watford suffered a game-ending left adductor strain with 4 minutes, 7 seconds remaining before intermission.

The reserve power forward grabbed the inner part of his left leg while passing the ball before falling to the court. After being helped up, Watford was assisted to the locker room.

He had eight points, one rebound, and an assist in 11 minutes. He was 2-for-2 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line.

The Sixers got another scare when Justin Edwards appeared to hurt his foot after scoring a third-quarter basket. He went to the locker room during a timeout to be checked out and returned to the game.

With all the injuries, seldom-used guard Eric Gordon was the ninth man off the bench, and rookie power forward Johni Broome entered the game in the third quarter.

“It’s out of our control, man,” Drummond said of the injuries. “It’s the next-man mentality. It’s Barlow, [Jabari] Walker, Broome, and [Hunter Sallis]. These guys got to step up and be ready to fill those shoes. You know we are not excited for our guys to go out. But for them, it’s a great opportunity to come in and showcase themselves.”

While this is an excellent opportunity, the Sixers need to get healthy if they expect to remain competitive as they embark on an upcoming rough stretch of games.

» READ MORE: Sixers’ Trendon Watford leaves Magic game with left adductor strain

Is the attrition starting to catch up to the Sixers?

“It sure felt like it tonight,” coach Nick Nurse said. “But, again, I think two or three times a season, you are going to have games like this where it’s like everything goes wrong. All of a sudden, they get hot. They start throwing in threes. We start turning [over the ball]. We can’t catch the ball. We can’t get back. We can’t grab a rebound. Just everything was really out of whack. You never really explain it. …

“Just like I told the guys, we’ve got to be better. That’s certainly not who we are out there tonight. We’ve got to get rid of this one, get rest and treatment over the next couple of days, and get back to who we are.”

The Sixers struggled to stop the Magic’s dribble penetration. Orlando routinely drove to the lane with ease. Perhaps realizing the Sixers couldn’t stop it, the Magic prioritized the dribble drive for long stretches.

This was similar to what the Hornets did to the Sixers during the second game of the season. Charlotte led, 80-56, in points in the paint and had an 20–6 advantage in second-chance points.

Thirty of the Magic’s points in the paint came in the second quarter, where they outscored the Sixers, 51-25, to take an 86-60 halftime lead.

“It was one of those days, 82 games,” Drummond said. “These types of games do happen. Not that we want it to happen, but [stuff] does happen. It is what it is. Everything they shot went in. And it also didn’t help that we gave them that momentum in the second quarter, going into halftime.

“So it’s something to learn from. We’ve got to get some rest. A lot of guys are out, banged up right now. I think these next two days are very crucial for us going into Brooklyn.”

While Drummond downplayed it, the Sixers will have to improve their defense if they expect to beat quality teams. In a copycat league like the NBA, teams will watch this game film and attack the rim until the Sixers can stop them.

Drummond squaring up with Orlando center Wendell Carter Jr. was one of the most memorable things about this game.

The Sixers center got into a fighting stance after fouling and exchanging words with Carter. Things escalated after Orlando point guard Jalen Suggs shoved Drummond. That caused Walker to push Suggs.

Suggs received two technical fouls and was ejected. Meanwhile, Carter, Drummond, and Walker each received a technical.

“I had to stop the bleeding, man,” Drummond said of his exchange with Carter as the Sixers trailed 82-58 with 26.6 seconds left in the half. “They went on a crazy run. For me, if you can see me, I looked up at the score, and I was, like, ‘Man, this [expletive] is nasty. I got to do something.’ And I was just [expletive] with him, and he reacted. I was like, ‘OK, I got to capitalize on it!’

“I mean, I’m not one of those players who do anything dirty, so once I did what I had to do, I was clapping because I got the reaction I was looking for, I got somebody thrown out, hoping it would get us going a little bit. Still ended up losing by 30-plus, so it was one of those nights for us. Got to learn from it, watch film, and move on to the next one.”

But aside from that, Drummond continued to show that he’s still an elite rebounder.

» READ MORE: Tyrese Maxey’s impact extends far beyond basketball. Philly is blessed to have him.

The 32-year-old, in his 14th season, finished with three points and a game-high 12 rebounds in 22 minutes, 19 seconds. He is averaging 13.7 rebounds in his last eight games as a starter. That included a season-high 24 rebounds in Sunday’s 123-114 loss to the Miami Heat. And he had 18 boards in a Nov. 17 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Drummond said his goal is to lead the league in rebounding. That will be tough to do once Embiid returns and takes a chunk of Drummond’s minutes. He’s currently ranked ninth (10.7) in rebounding. His play has been one of the team’s bright spots.

“For me, I’m trying to get back to No. 1,” Drummond said. “I’m [at] 10 right now. I think the leader [San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama] is averaging [12.9]. I’m not too far off. The goal is to win, obviously. That’s first and foremost. [Rebounding] is what I’m known to do. So I got to keep putting a show on.”

A season ago, Embiid had only played in four of the Sixers’ first 17 games while George played in eight. Tuesday’s contest marked this season’s 17th game. And at this point, George has played in only three games, while Embiid has been available for six.

George was sidelined with a sprained right ankle. Meanwhile, Embiid missed his eighth consecutive game because of knee injuries. The last seven were because of right knee injury management or soreness. He also missed the Sixers’ 111-108 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 9 because he doesn’t play on back-to-back nights to rest his left knee.

George missed the first 12 games while recovering from left knee surgery. Then he sat out Wednesday’s 121-112 loss to the Toronto Raptors because he isn’t cleared to compete on both nights of a back-to-back.

The Sixers signed George to a four-year, $211.5 million contract on July 6, 2024, to form a Big Three with Embiid and Maxey. But for the second straight season, Maxey is carrying the bulk of the load while the duo is dealing with injuries. The hope is that things will change as the season goes along.

But one could argue that, for the time being, they’ve been worse, with George playing in five fewer games and Embiid out since Nov. 8.

A year ago, Embiid missed the entire preseason and first six games of the season because of left knee management. After that, he served a three-game suspension for an off-court altercation.

Embiid made his season debut last year against the New York Knicks on Nov. 12, 2024. After playing in three of the next four games, he missed seven straight contests.

» READ MORE: Sixers mailbag: Paul George and Joel Embiid’s trade value, need for backup point guard, and more

George was also hampered by injuries before the start of last season.

He was sidelined for three weeks after hyperextending his left knee during an Oct. 14, 2024, exhibition game against the Atlanta Hawks, leading to a bone bruise. George suffered the same injury during the Sixers’ loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 20, 2024, the team’s 14th game of the season. That cost him the next three games.

Give the Sixers credit for handling their absences better than a year ago, when the team was 3-14 through 17 games. But they are starting to fall apart, losing eight of 13 games after starting the season 4-0. And not seeing Embiid and George play is very reminiscent of last season.