76ers at Magic
The Orlando Magic are searching for the form, on both ends of the court, that led to a strong start over the first two months of the season. The Magic have fallen back to .500 after dropping seven of eight games and look to begin their recovery when the rebuilding Philadelphia 76ers pay a visit on Wednesday night.
“We’ve got to stay positive,” Orlando guard Evan Fournier told reporters. “We’ve got to still trust in ourselves. We had a very good record not too long ago. We’re still the same team. We’ve just got to get back to it.” The Magic have allowed an average of 103.7 points in the seven losses and their offense (89.7 in those games) has been inconsistent, including a 34.5 percent shooting performance at Atlanta on Monday. Philadelphia is coming off a 119-113 double-overtime loss to New York for its fifth defeat in six contests while falling to 2-22 on the road overall. Guard Ish Smith is making a major impact for the 76ers, averaging 16.8 points in 12 games since being acquired from New Orleans.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Florida (Orlando)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (5-38): Smith had 16 points and 16 assists against the Knicks on Monday and backcourt mate Isaiah Canaan has posted 30 points combined in the last two games. Center Jahlil Okafor is averaging 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds over the past two contests and is shooting 61.5 percent from the field in January after connecting on 44.5 percent in December. Nerlens Noel notched his first double-double since Jan. 1 with 18 points and 13 boards against New York and is averaging 2.7 blocks this month.
ABOUT THE MAGIC (20-20): The 98-81 loss at Atlanta on Monday ranks among Orlando’s worst games of the season, and the team is expected to be without guard Victor Oladipo (sore knee) for the second straight game on Wednesday. “Our defense was terrible again,” Magic coach Scott Skiles told reporters. “Overall we looked very slow out there (Monday) on both ends.” Oladipo is averaging 18.3 points this month, so the Magic need better shooting from Fournier and Tobias Harris – 4-of-18 combined Monday – if they are to start turning things around.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Orlando C Nikola Vucevic leads the team in scoring (16.9) and rebounds (8.4), including double-doubles in three of the past four games.
2. Philadelphia G Nik Stauskas (left shoulder contusion) could return to the lineup after missing the last two games.
3. The Magic have won five of the last six meetings, including a 105-97 victory on Nov. 7 in Philadelphia.