McConnell's layup lifts 76ers over Magic
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Rookie Dario Saric scored a career-high 24 points, and T.J. McConnell hit the winning layup with 5.8 seconds remaining as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Orlando Magic 112-111 Thursday night at the Amway Center.
The Sixers (19-34) snapped a five-game losing streak. The Magic (20-35) lost their third consecutive game.
Evan Fournier led the Magic with 24 points and eight assists, and he pulled down nine rebounds. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Serge Ibaka scored 16 points. Elfrid Payton, back in a reserve role, had 15 points, and C.J. Watson added 11 points and four assists.
McConnell finished with eight points and eight assists. Ersan Ilyasova had 16 points for the Sixers. Nik Stauskas scored 13 points, Sergio Rodriguez had 12 points and five assists, and Nerlens Noel finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Saric hit a driving layup with 35 seconds remaining to give Philadelphia a 110-109 lead, capping a 7-0 run. Vucevic answered with a basket nine seconds later. McConnell hit the winning basket after the Sixers won a jump ball with nine seconds remaining.
D.J. Augustin sank a pair of 3-pointers early in the fourth quarter for a 95-88 Magic lead. The Sixers made an 8-0 run and tied the game at 98 with 4:45 remaining. Noel and Ibaka got offsetting technical fouls when they tangled under the basket at the end of the Sixers' run.
The Sixers led 85-84 going into the final period after Rodriguez hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left in the third. Saric sank his third 3-pointer of the game for the 82-80 lead.
The Magic made a 12-0 run -- including eight from Ibaka -- midway in the third period for a 76-70 lead. Ilyasova had just completed a three-point play for the 70-65 Sixers lead.
The Sixers led 55-48 at intermission after Saric closed the second period with a flurry. He scored 12 points in the final 2:39. He had seven points in a 15-second span by hitting one free throw between back-to-back 3-pointers. His first 3-pointer with 2:39 remaining gave the Sixers a 43-42 lead, their first lead since 2-0.
The Magic led by as many as 15 points in the first quarter when the Sixers started slowly. Fournier led everyone with 17 points in the first half, including 13 in the first period.
Payton, who lost his starting role to C.J. Watson, had eight points in the second period. The Sixers outhustled the Magic in the second quarter, outscoring them 10-1 with second-chance points. The Magic also had six turnovers in the second period.
NOTES: Sixers C Joel Embiid missed his ninth consecutive game with a left knee bone bruise. In two games against the Magic this season, Embiid averaged 21.5 points and 10 rebounds. ... Magic F Aaron Gordon missed his first game of the season with a bone bruise on his right foot. The injury may jeopardize his participation in the All-Star Weekend Dunk Contest on Feb. 18, although Magic coach Frank Vogel said hopes Gordon is ready to play Saturday in Dallas. ... Magic G/F Mario Hezonja got his first start of the season in place of Gordon, and he scored three points. Hezonja and Philadelphia F Dario Saric were teammates on the Croatia national team last summer. ... Magic reserve F Jeff Green, who missed Tuesday's game in Houston to be at the birth of his first child, returned to the team Thursday and scored three points.