Orlando Magic made short work of a heavily depleted Philadelphia Sixers side, humiliated 103-144 on Tuesday on their home court, as part of the NBA Cup.
The Magic and Sixers continued their respective dynamics. Orlando thus won an eighth victory in their last eleven outings by defeating Philadelphia by a wide margin (103-144). The Sixers, still without Joel Embiid, Paul George, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr and also Adem Bona, are struggling and will go no further in this NBA Cup.
The hosts held their own for a quarter. The start of the encounter was difficult from both sides in terms of shooting, but opened up with the quick rotations led by Nick Nurse and Jamahl Mosley. The introductions of Trendon Watford and Jared McCain on one side, Anthony Black, Goga Bitadze then Tyus Jones on the other, raised the tempo of the game. The Sixers, who had started with a 2/9 shooting, recovered with a 9/10! Philadelphia took up to a seven-point lead (33-26), but the Magic replied with three three-pointers in the final 63 seconds of a first quarter that was all guns blazing.
Second-quarter slaughter
But this was not going to last for Tyrese Maxey's teammates. The Sixers' zone defence could not keep pace with the Magic, who would not stop. Anthony Black was monstrous in attack, flying to the rim as well as pulling up from three-point range. The guard scored 16 points in four minutes and single-handedly opened up the gap (43-57). Orlando made their defence count then played at full throttle. The visitors made Philadelphia sink and played as if in a dream: 15 fast-break points in the second quarter alone, a 20/27 from shooting and a gargantuan 51-25 run in the period. Black capped his exceptional quarter (20 points on 8/9, 27 at the break) with an alley-oop just before the buzzer to silence the Xfinity Mobile Arena (60-86).
The return from the break changed nothing, despite Jalen Suggs' absence, ejected at the end of the first half after a scuffle broke out. The Sixers had no response whatsoever, and no longer made defensive efforts to limit the damage. Man-to-man defence, zone, transition defence... Nothing worked for the Pennsylvania franchise. So, the Magic had fun. Tristan Da Silva, Franz Wagner, Desmond Bane...
Everyone participated in the offensive festival, to the boos of the crowd, exasperated by the thrashing their players were receiving with another 15-0 run conceded. +30 then +40, the match was wrapped up with a quarter of an hour remaining.
The end of the encounter served no purpose other than to note Noah Penda's activity (10 points, nine rebounds), the apathy of all the Sixers down to the end of the bench (-46 maximum deficit...) and Philly supporters demanding - in vain - Kyle Lowry's entrance.
Jalen Suggs tried to recreate the Wade/LeBron pic on the lob to Wendell Carter Jr. ? pic.twitter.com/vCA5ddYsei
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) November 26, 2025
Key takeaways
Not a victory, a carnage. 80 points in the paint, 36 off turnovers. Or 82 bench points, an NBA season record, and nine players above ten points, unprecedented in Magic history. Orlando punished the Sixers in proportions rarely seen since the start of the season. This was obviously not a Philadelphia team at full strength given how full the treatment room is. But the Floridians' performance, themselves without Paolo Banchero, is no less impressive.
The Jalen Suggs show. The first half was eventful for the Magic point guard, in many respects. He was one of Orlando's main driving forces notably in transition and became the first player since Jeff Teague in 2020 to accumulate more than 10 assists in less than 17 minutes of playing time according to StatMuse. Suggs notably wanted to recreate the iconic alley-oop between Dwyane Wade and LeBron James by serving Wendell Carter Jr then spreading his arms without watching the end of the play... Before colliding with a referee in his stride. Then being ejected moments later for inflaming an altercation between Carter Jr and Andre Drummond.
Possible Magic-Pistons final, Sixers eliminated. Orlando continue their perfect NBA Cup start, with a 3-0 record and top of Group B. This will be decided against the Pistons, who could have the same record before the final matchday if they win tonight against the Celtics. Friday night's Orlando-Detroit is full of promise. For Philadelphia, beaten three times in three matchdays, the journey will go no further than the group stage.
This article was originally published on Basket USA.