By John Denton Feb. 9, 2017
ORLANDO – Seemingly stuck in the throes of another loss-filled and hopeless rebuilding season, the upstart Philadelphia 76ers surprised most everyone in the basketball world in late December and early January by ripping off 10 wins in a 13-game stretch.
Similarly, the Miami Heat were thought to be headed for their worst season in years what with the team stuck at 11-30 and seemingly heading nowhere fast. Out of nowhere, the Heat strung together an improbable 12-game winning stretch to buoy hopes.
And Orlando Magic team that has gone through a season that has fallen dramatically beneath their expectations is similarly hoping that it can somehow get hot and make a similar push.
“We beat both of those teams (Philadelphia and Miami) and we know that we can play, but we have to understand that those teams starting play the right way and doing the right things every night and that's why they were successful,'' said Magic center Nikola Vucevic, who is coming off a 14-point, 19-rebound effort on Tuesday in Houston. “We have to stay consistent with those things each night for us to start getting wins. But it has to start with us getting momentum first and then building on it.''
Orlando (20-34) gets another shot at building some pre-All-Star break momentum tonight when it hosts a 76ers team that has fallen on hard times of late without standout center Joel Embiid. Philadelphia (18-34) fell 111-103 to San Antonio on Wednesday night and has lost five straight games.
The 76ers surprising rise in January took part because of the stellar play of Embiid. However, the big man has missed the past seven games with a knee contusion and he will not play tonight against the Magic. Philadelphia is 13-18 this season with the 7-foot-1 center, but just 5-16 without him.
Orlando twice beat Philadelphia with Embiid in the middle. The Magic started the season with three straight losses, but got their first victory in Philadelphia on Nov. 1. Then, following a gut-wrenching, last-second loss in Memphis on Dec. 1, Orlando won in Philadelphia again a night later.
If Orlando is going to put a run together it will likely have to do it without forward Aaron Gordon, who left Tuesday's game with pain in his right foot. A MRI on Wednesday showed a bone bruise that will keep the team's top defender out of action tonight against the Sixers. Gordon's return will depend on how he responds to treatment, but head coach Frank Vogel said on Thursday morning that the team doesn't think the injury is a serious one.
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