(Field Level Media) Joel Embiid scored 28 of his 36 points in the first half and Tyrese Maxey added 32 points yesterday, lifting the visiting Philadelphia 76ers to a 124-109 victory over the Orlando Magic.
Embiid, who also had seven rebounds and four of Philadelphia’s 11 steals, made 12 of 22 shots from the floor and all 11 attempts from the foul line. The reigning NBA MVP scored at least 30 points in his 19th straight game, snapping a tie with Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor for the sixth-longest streak in NBA history.
Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 15 points and Tobias Harris added 12 for the 76ers, who extended their winning streak to four games after defeating the Magic for the second time this season. Philadelphia overcame the absence of Embiid in its 112-92 victory in Orlando on Dec. 27.
The 76ers shot 48.8 percent from the floor (42 of 86) and 43.3 percent from 3-point range (13 of 30) on Friday. They also made 27 of 29 attempts from the foul line. Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. recorded a season-high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds off the bench.
Jalen Suggs scored 16 points and Paolo Banchero contributed 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists for the Magic, who have lost five of their last six games.
Carter converted a three-point play to stake Orlando to a 50-46 lead with 6:39 remaining in the second quarter before Philadelphia ignited a 18-4 run. Embiid sank a 3-pointer and made four other baskets during that surge, including a sequence in which he used the glass to set up his own dunk.
The Magic trimmed a 13-point deficit down to four at 77-73 before Oubre made a driving layup and a 3-pointer to begin the 76ers’ 12-3 spurt to end the third quarter.
Philadelphia scored 13 of the first 18 points to begin the fourth quarter, extending its lead to 21 points at 102-81. Maxey drained a 3-pointer and two baskets while Marcus Morris Sr. added six points in that sequence.
The 76ers were not seriously challenged the rest of the way.
