PHILADELPHIA — Center Nikola Vucevic scored a season-high 35 points and guard Victor Oladipo added 22 as the Orlando Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers 124-115 on Tuesday night.
Vucevic, a former Sixer, made 13 of 21 shots from the floor and fell two points short of his career high. He also collected nine rebounds and four assists for the Magic, who won for the fourth time in sixth games. However, the Magic is just 6-17 since starting the season 19-13.
Guard/forward Evan Fournier contributed 21 points for Orlando, which outscored Philadelphia 42-28 over the game’s last 17:26. The Magic, averaging 99.7 points a game when the night began (22nd in the league), had a season-high point total for a regulation game.
Guard Ish Smith had 22 points for Philadelphia, which fell to 8-48 with its fifth straight loss. Center Jahlil Okafor contributed 17 points, and center/forward Nerlens Noel chipped in 16 points and 11 rebounds.
The Sixers’ defensive struggles continued. They had allowed an average of 121.3 points in their three previous games.
Orlando led 97-93 after three quarters, and opened the fourth quarter with an 11-2 burst, including six points by backup center Jason Smith, to go up 108-95 with 8:36 to play. The Sixers were never closer than eight the rest of the way.
The Magic took a 25-16 lead early in the game behind Vucevic’s 12 points, but some strong play by the Philadelphia bench allowed the Sixers to overtake Orlando in the second quarter. A dunk by Noel gave them a 44-43 lead with 8:08 left in the half, but Fournier answered with a 3-pointer for the Magic, which carried a 67-62 advantage into the break.
Vucevic scored 19 points to top Orlando in the first half, while forward Robert Covington had 10 to front Philadelphia.
Early in the third quarter Orlando was still up by five, 75-70, when the Sixers went on a 13-2 run that featured nine points by Smith. Again the Magic answered, scoring 13 of 15 points in one stretch, six of those by Vucevic, to go up 95-89.
The Magic was up 97-93 at the end of the period.
NOTES: Sixers coach Brett Brown denied a Philly.com report that the team offered G Ish Smith, G Nik Stauskas, a player with an expiring contract and a 2016 first-round pick to Atlanta for G Dennis Schroder. Stauskas said he only heard a rumor of the deal when Brown “came into the locker room laughing.” … The Magic’s next game is Thursday at home against Golden State, which on Monday became the fastest team in NBA history to 50 victories, reaching that milestone in its 55th game. “Every time I watch them, I feel like I’m watching the best team I’ve ever seen play,” Orlando coach Scott Skiles said.