A night after the Orlando Magic had nothing to offer but pride and point differential in the second half, they found themselves in a dogfight.

Against an undermanned Philadelphia 76ers team that was missing perennial All-Stars Joel Embiid and Paul George, the Magic struggled to impose their will and put away the Sixers. Orlando’s 10-point lead with just over four minutes left was down to one point with 1:21 left in the game.

But the Magic defended their lead with five free throws in the final eight seconds to win 106-102.

After Tuesday night’s stunning loss to the New York Knicks, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said his team had to accept this “stinker” and move on.

He reiterated his message before Wednesday night’s game in Philadelphia – the Magic’s fifth consecutive game in 24 games. Tuesday was one game in a season with 82 of them. There was no point in getting too high or too low after a single result.

With Wednesday night’s win, the Magic’s 13th in their last 15 games, Orlando improved to 16-8 and 2-0 against the Sixers. These two teams will play again in Philly on Friday.

Franz Wagner led Orlando with 35 points – his seventh game with at least 30 points. Jalen Suggs, who had one of his worst shooting nights in New York, scored 14 points with four made three-pointers. He also added five rebounds and seven assists.

Jonathan Isaac missed the final portion of the game with right leg cramps, but Orlando got his best in his 15 minutes of play: 14 points, plus two steals and two blocked shots. As a team, Orlando totaled 13 steals and seven blocks.

Goga Bitadze returned to the Magic’s starting lineup after a one-game absence due to a right ankle sprain.

The Magic’s five-game Northeast trip ends with a second game against the 76ers on Friday night. The meeting point is at 7:00 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center.

Consequences ‘Orlando Magic on SI‘ on Facebook and like our page. Follow Magic Beat reporter Mason Williams on Twitter/X @mvsonwilliams. Also bookmark ours Homepage This way you never miss a story.