The Orlando Magic will try to avoid matching a season-worst 10th consecutive loss when they travel to Philadelphia to take on the 76ers on Monday night. The 76ers, meanwhile, will look to take advantage of a visit from the struggling Magic as they try to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Philadelphia has won two straight and three of four and sits 3 1/2 games behind Boston for the eighth spot.
Orlando has lost 20 of 22 overall and six straight on the road, and it's trying to avoid going winless on its five-game road trip that wraps up in Philadelphia. It hasn't helped that the Magic have been without leading scorer Arron Afflalo (strained left calf), big man Glen Davis (fractured left foot) and point guard Jameer Nelson (bruised left forearm). Afflalo and Nelson both are listed as day-to-day, but Davis will miss at least two months.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Florida (Orlando), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE MAGIC (14-33): It has been a rough stretch for Orlando, which was hanging around the .500 mark before its 10-game skid started a slide to the league's third-worst record. Getting Afflalo (16.7 points) and Nelson (14.9 points, 7.2 assists) back would make a huge difference, because the Magic have only two healthy players averaging double-digit scoring - guard J.J. Redick (15.3 points, 4.5 assists) and center Nikola Vucevic (12.1 points, 11.3 rebounds).
ABOUT THE 76ERS (20-26): Philadelphia is trying to match a season-best three-game win streak, and it has played well at the defensive end for most of its current home stand. The Sixers have allowed 84 points or fewer in their last three wins. Point guard Jrue Holiday (19.4 points, 8.9 assists) sets the tone at the offensive end, but the Sixers get good balance from forwards Thaddeus Young (15.2 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Evan Turner (14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds) and shooting guard Nick Young (11.2 points). Guard Jason Richardson (10.5 points) has missed six straight games with fluid on his left knee.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Orlando has dominated the series recently, winning 14 of the last 16 regular-season meetings, including seven of the last eight in Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia is 18-0 this season when taking a lead into the fourth quarter and 2-26 when tied or trailing after three quarters.
3. The Magic are 0-14 this season when they fail to score 90 points or more.