National Basketball Association
Orlando 103, Philadelphia 101
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Officials: #33 Sean Corbin, #5 Kane Fitzgerald, #66 Haywoode Workman
Attendance: 12529

PHILADELPHIA -- The way Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel sees it, his team just needed a little luck.

"Sometimes," he said, "the ball bounces your way."

It did on the Magic's final possession Tuesday night, when Serge Ibaka collected a loose ball and dropped in two free throws with 1.4 seconds left, lifting Orlando over the Philadelphia 76ers 103-101 for the Magic's first victory of the season.

"Maybe this is a sign of things to come," Vogel said.

Ex-Sixer Nikola Vucevic finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds for Orlando (1-3). Ibaka had 21 points, and Elfrid Payton contributed 18 points, 10 assists and a critical steal in the closing seconds.

Evan Fournier added 17 points for the Magic, who trailed by 18 in the first half and 17 early in the second. They were also down 94-84 with 8:29 remaining and 99-95 with 3:56 left.

"This win gives us a lot of confidence right now," said Ibaka, in his first year with the Magic after seven with Oklahoma City. "That's what we need. We need one. We have to build from this win tonight and keep working, get better and better."

With the score tied at 101, Fournier inbounded to Vucevic, whose pass was deflected by Philadelphia forward Robert Covington. It bounced under the basket to Ibaka, who was knocked to the floor by Sixers guard T.J. McConnell. McConnell was assessed a flagrant foul.

Ibaka fell hard on his shoulder, but no matter.

"I was not very worried about the pain," he said. "In my mind I was just focusing: 'OK, I've got two free throws to win the game.' When I was down, I was just thinking about the free throws. Forget about the pain."

Hollis Thompson led Philadelphia (0-3) with 22 points, and Dario Saric added 21. Joel Embiid contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Gerald Henderson chipped in 18 points.

Sergio Rodriguez finished with 12 points and 11 assists for the Sixers.

"I'm sorry for them," coach Brett Brown said of his players. "We felt like we've been putting in the work to earn a win."

The teams were tied at 82 in the final minute of the third quarter, but Philadelphia built its 94-84 lead with 8:29 left in the game on a 3-pointer by Rodriguez.

The Sixers failed to score on 13 of their last 17 possessions, however, and turned the ball over on their last two. The first, a traveling violation on Embiid, set the stage for Fournier's game-tying layup with 27.7 seconds left.

Payton then had his steal with 6.7 seconds remaining, leading to the final, frantic sequence.

Philadelphia controlled most of the first half, scoring the game's first 10 points and grabbing a 57-43 halftime lead behind 13 points apiece from Thompson and Henderson and 12 from Saric. Embiid also had 10 points and six rebounds in the first 24 minutes.

Vucevic paced Orlando with 14 points in the half.

The Magic, which made their first 11 shots of the second half, rallied to tie it at 82 on a 3-pointer by Fournier with 51.4 seconds left in the third quarter. Philadelphia rattled off 12 of the next 14 points -- four by Thompson -- to build its 94-84 cushion.

NOTES: Philadelphia traded F Jerami Grant to Oklahoma City for F Ersan Ilyasova and a conditional first-round draft pick. The 76ers hope that Ilyasova, a proven outside shooter, can space the floor for their young big men. At the same time, Grant will be missed. "Jerami was like the favorite guy in the locker room," G T.J. McConnell said. "Everyone loved him." Ilyasova could join the Sixers as soon as Wednesday in Charlotte, according to GM Bryan Colangelo. ... Orlando coach Frank Vogel said Philadelphia assistant Jim O'Brien was his biggest mentor, in that he helped him get a job as a student manager under then-Kentucky coach Rick Pitino in 1994. O'Brien maintained his ties to Pitino when he became the Boston Celtics coach, paving the way for Vogel's own ascension in the coaching ranks. ... Sixers coach Brett Brown stuck to his plan to rest C Jahlil Okafor, who is coming off knee surgery. ... Sixers C Joel Embiid, who is coming off two foot surgeries, will not make the trip to Charlotte on Wednesday night. His minutes restriction, previously 20, has been raised to 24. He played 24:52 against Orlando.
Top Game Performances
 
Orlando   Philadelphia
Nikola Vucevic 24 Scoring Hollis Thompson 22
Elfrid Payton 10 Assists Sergio Rodriguez 11
Nikola Vucevic 14 Rebounds Joel Embiid 10
Serge Ibaka 4 Free Throws Made Joel Embiid 6
Aaron Gordon 3 Steals Robert Covington 3
Serge Ibaka 2 Blocks Joel Embiid 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Orlando 103 45.2 6-25 13-17 29 39 6 7 10
Philadelphia 101 49.4 9-20 12-16 28 42 8 5 16
Upcoming Games
  • Philadelphia will play their next game on the road against Charlotte. The 76ers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Orlando will play their next game at home against Sacramento. The Magic have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .333 after a loss.
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