In the first quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers exhibition against the Orlando Magic, it seemed like their prayers were answered.
Dominick Barlow effortlessly pulled down offensive rebounds and recorded putback lay-ins. For a quarter, Philadelphia had its answer at power forward – one of many interesting developments from this preseason game.
The 76ers (0-3) fell 128-98 to the Orlando Magic (2-0) on Friday night at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. In a game that didn’t feature Joel Embiid, Paul George, Quentin Grimes or VJ Edgecombe, Philadelphia saw several players take the opportunity.
First quarter
Orlando challenged Adem Bona in the paint early in the first quarter. The UCLA product recorded two personal fouls in less than two minutes while protecting the rim. Bona’s poor discipline will likely determine his place in Philadelphia’s rotation, so he needs to make progress on this front.
Bona later regained his bearings and blew up a pair of Magic drives, accounting for two of the 76ers’ four blocks in the first quarter. Using defensive playmaking to push the pace has been Philadelphia’s blueprint this season and fans witnessed some convincing flashes.
Dominick Barlow continued to impress from the boards. He recorded six rebounds in the first half, four of which came from the offensive glass. His positioning and engine earned him several recovery buckets. The 76ers’ power forward spot has been in dire need of size and rebuilding for years, and Barlow is meeting expectations so far.
Tyrese Maxey scored 17 points in the opening frame. He drove defenders off the dribble with clever penetration and got into position with ease. Maxey has been working with the shiniest green light during these exhibitions, which has helped him shake off any rust the offseason may have brought on.
Second quarter
With Philadelphia so depleted, someone other than Maxey had to shoulder the scoring burden. Kelly Oubre Jr. volunteered and recorded 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. He caused chaos in all the best ways with tremendous rim pressure and forced turnovers. Oubre even threw a spot-up corner three.
Goga Bitadze enjoyed Philadelphia’s front court, recording nine points and four rebounds in his first ten minutes of action. Given the 76ers’ questionable size at the five, traditional big centers like Bitadze could cause problems in non-Embiid minutes this season.
After playing the entire first quarter, Maxey’s night was over. Kennedy Chandler inherited some of the ball-handling duties and made the most of it. He called his own number, but it wasn’t all pretty. Chandler relentlessly searched for the rim and forced turnovers, playing with a high motor on both ends. He finished with 16 points, five assists and four steals.
Second half
While Justin Edwards shot 2-8 from the field and 1-4 from three, he had one of his better performances in recent memory. The Philadelphia native did little things like keeping the ball moving and making an impact defensively off the ball. Edwards will be at his best when playing with the gravity of the 76ers’ big three.
Emoni Bates made his preseason debut with zero points at 0-2 from downtown. He had no significant plays on either side of the floor and probably didn’t deserve a bigger role for himself in Philadelphia’s next exhibition.
Andre Drummond scored his second three-pointer of the game in the third quarter. He finished the night with 2-2 shooting from beyond the arc and found success from weak angles. This is a nice development that fans should take with a grain of salt.
Bona didn’t play much in the second half, paving the way for Nurse to experiment with his center rotation. Johni Broome had productive minuteswhich were characterized by high-quality post scores and activity at the margins. Jabari Walker continued to demonstrate his connecting passing and strong driving skills, but looked slow when defending one-on-one.
Philadelphia concludes the preseason by hosting the Minnesota Timberwolves on October 17 at 7:00 PM EST.
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