Magic beat 76ers 112-109 in OT thriller
By Will Ogburn on March 21, 2017Orlando, Fla. — The last time the Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers met in the Amway Center, the Sixers won 112-111 on a game-winning shot by point guard T.J. McConnell.
On Monday night in Orlando, the Magic got their revenge, overcoming a 17-point Sixer lead in the third quarter to force overtime, where they won the game in dramatic fashion.
After a bungled possession by Evan Fournier, the Magic found themselves tied at 104 in the waning second of overtime. Magic coach Frank Vogel then drew up a play for recently acquired swingman Terrence Ross, who nailed a jumper to put the Magic up two. Just for icing on the cake, Ross would hit both free throws.
It was a bit of relief for Ross, who was 3-of-13 from the field in regulation but scored those four-straight points to ensure a Magic win.
Orlando would enter the fourth quarter down nine but would take command of the game during its would-be final period. The Magic defense held the Sixers to only 15 points on 28 percent from the field during the game’s final 12 minutes.
The biggest part of this accomplishment was shutting down Richaun Holms, the Sixers’ unexpected star of the game. With only nine active players, none of which were starting center Jahlil Okafor, Holmes played 42 of a possible 53 minutes for the Sixers. The second-year man out of Bowling Green notched team highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds before fouling out in overtime.
The Magic’s own big man Nikola Vucevic also had a field day, scoring a game-high 26 and snaring 13 rebounds. In the eight games since returning from injury, Vucevic has been averaging 18.9 points and 11.5 rebounds.
This win improved the Magic’s record in the month of March to 4-7, and it marked the first time in 12 weeks that the team got the elusive second win in a row.
Despite the win, the Orlando Magic (26-44) are below the Sixers in the NBA standings. This may shape up to be a positive, however, as that gives them better odds in the NBA Draft lottery.
The Magic will stay home this week, taking on the Charlotte Hornets (31-39) on Wednesday and the Detroit Pistons (34-36) on Friday.
Tags: evan fourier, Jahlil Okafor, Nikola Vucevic, orlando magic, philadelphia 76ers, Richaun Holms, Terrence Ross
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