Sixers player grades: Joel Embiid lifts team past Mo Bamba, Magic

The Philadelphia 76ers returned home on Wednesday to take on a struggling Orlando Magic squad looking to get back on track following a loss on Monday. The Sixers had already beaten the Magic twice on the season and it seemed like Orlando would be the team to get back on track.

However, what they didn’t game plan for was Mo Bamba having a career night. Bamba had a career-high in points at the half and he knocked down seven triples in the first half to help the Magic take a 57-47 lead over the Sixers at halftime. That was despite Joel Embiid having 24 points of his own at halftime.

Nonetheless, Embiid finished with a ridiculous 50 points to tie his career-high on 17-for-23 shooting and 12 rebounds to lead the Sixers to a 123-110 win over the Magic despite 32 and three blocks from Bamba.

Tobias Harris added 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting, Tyrese Maxey had 14, and Furkan Korkmaz had eight points, six rebounds, and five assists coming off the bench in this one. Seth Curry also added five and eight rebounds. Andre Drummond did add nine points and five rebounds in his minutes while Georges Niang had 10.

Here are the player grades following the win:

Tyrese Maxey: B+

The second-year guard from Kentucky actually scored in the first quarter as he was the only starter to do so outside of Embiid. After that, he didn’t score until the third quarter, but they were big triples that the team needed in the worst way possible. Philadelphia needed others to step up and help Embiid and the guards were able to do so after halftime.

Seth Curry: B-

Curry did not score until late in the second quarter when he worked the two-man action with Embiid to free himself up for a jumper. He then opened the second half with a triple as he was able to work himself free for an open look. That then opened up other things for the Sixers. The Magic had to start paying attention to him a bit which allowed others to play well, but he did have trouble on the defensive end which contributed to the team’s struggles.

Charlie Brown Jr.: C-

The Sixers turned to Brown Jr. to start rather than Korkmaz and he gave some help on the defensive end. He really is an active defender and he does a good job of bothering his opponent which is a big help. He does need to work on his offensive game, however, as he is rough on that end of the floor. He did not start the second half as coach Doc Rivers wanted some more offense. He went with Korkmaz instead.

Tobias Harris: B+

It was a tough first quarter for Harris who once again heard boos from the Wells Fargo Center faithful, but he steadied the team when Embiid went to the bench in the second quarter to rest. Harris was constantly working in the post and he did a solid job against guys like Chuma Okeke down low. He also knocked down a triple to keep the Sixers in it. He also made some big shots in the second half to keep the Magic at bay. He wasn’t great on the defensive end, but he was solid there.

Joel Embiid: A+

What more can anybody say? Words don’t even describe it anymore. The big fella was a one-man wrecking crew out there to start this game. He scored 20 points in the opening quarter alone as he went to work early on Mo Bamba. He also took rookie Franz Wagner to the cup a couple of times and he drew a foul on him in the process. He would have scored 30 in the first half if he didn’t get into foul trouble. The Magic did not have an answer for Embiid at all in this one. On the other side, Bamba had himself a big game for Orlando as he got into a groove from deep, but Embiid and the Sixers kept him largely in check in the second half. It also helped Philadelphia when he got into foul trouble.

Andre Drummond: B+

In his initial stint, Drummond missed a one-handed alley-oop dunk attempt and he had a weird turnover where he fell out of bounds when it looked like he was pushed by Bamba. Other than that, he rebounded well and he converted his second alley-oop dunk attempt with two hands. He also had a tough time against Bamba in his minutes out on the floor. He was more efficient in the second half around the basket.

Furkan Korkmaz: A-

After missing all five of his triples on Monday, Korkmaz canned his first triple in this one. He did have one defensive breakdown against Terrence Ross that he got lucky he missed and he also had a turnover which led to him committing a clear path foul. Due to his offensive ability, he did end up getting the start in the second half and he did make the move worthwhile with some big shots. He also rebounded well and he made some plays with his passing.

Georges Niang: B

In the midst of Embiid’s rampage in the opening quarter, Niang did hop off the bench in the opening quarter and drilled a corner triple. He also had a steal which led to a nice pass to Drummond, but he couldn’t convert the one-handed alley-oop. Niang did have an average night on the defensive end as it wasn’t anything special, but he made some plays on that end.

Isaiah Joe: C

Again, Joe got some easy looks in this one, but he had trouble knocking them down until he finally got one to fall in the third-quarter run. The Sixers need more of that as they move forward. He has got to be able to take advantage of these open looks he continues to receive.

1

1