3 observations after George, KJ Martin helped Sixers earn tough win over Magic originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Sixers gritted their teeth and earned a split against the Magic in their two-game miniseries on Friday night.

Paul George and KJ Martin each played key roles in the team’s 102-94 victory at Wells Fargo Center.

George had 21 points and nine assists. KJ Martin scored a season-high 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting.

Franz Wagner scored 30 points for the Magic, who fell to 16-9. The Sixers improved to 6-15.

Centers Joel Embiid (treatment of a left knee injury) and Adem Bona (left knee contusion) were out. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said Embiid had been practicing on the court for the past few days before the game and the swelling in his knee had gone down. Nurse wasn’t sure what Embiid’s status will be for the Sixers’ upcoming game against the Bulls on Sunday afternoon.

Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, Gary Harris and Jonathan Isaac were ruled out due to injury.

Here are observations from the Sixers’ win over the Magic on Friday night:

GeAssign your contact person early on

Andre Drummond returned from a sprained right ankle, one game ahead of the Sixers’ original projection. He started with Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., George and Guerschon Yabusele. Jared McCain slid to the second unit.

George scored the first four points of the game with some mid-range jumpers. It was immediately clear that the Sixers’ offense was running better and that Maxey wasn’t under nearly as much pressure to get anything done.

George had a bad turnover in his opening stint when he threw a random runout pass. Wagner grabbed the ball and scored a three-pointer. The worst thing about the Sixers offense early on was the steady stream of turnovers. The team’s eight first-quarter draws ranged from Drummond fumbling a pass on goal to McCain stealing the ball from behind.

While George’s presence didn’t get Maxey back into top form, the 24-year-old guard did sink a three-pointer in the first quarter. With this shot, Maxey passed Tobias Harris and ranked fourth in Sixers history in three-pointers.

However, Maxey played on the sidelines for most of the first half. He didn’t score again until 7:04 of the third quarter and had no assists until the end of the third quarter. Luckily for the Sixers, George was far more productive as both a scorer and passer. He scored his sixth assist when he set up Yabusele for a layup just before the halftime whistle.

Stellar Martin shows himself

Martin was the star of the Sixers’ second unit.

In his first stint, Martin managed a one-and-one layup, a three-pointer in the corner and a quick shot to the basket thanks to a deft lob from George. Martin scored 10 points with a lefty dunk on the Sixers’ final possession of the first quarter.

The explosive 23-year-old also had a highlight-reel scoreless second quarter when he leapt over everyone else to grab an offensive rebound and then hit McCain for an uncontested layup. Martin’s solid defense against Wagner was also valuable.

The Sixers’ other Martin had a rockier ride. Caleb Martin landed awkwardly after committing a foul late in the first quarter. He grabbed his left ankle and hobbled to the Sixers’ bench. Although he was eventually substituted and returned to the locker room with Sixers head coach Kevin Johnson, Martin returned to action early in the second quarter and logged eight minutes in the first half. He remained on the bench in the second half.

Along with KJ Martin, Drummond was a bright spot in the second quarter. He won several one-on-one matches in a row against Moe Wagner and put in physical, sustained work on the offensive boards. The 31-year-old big man also had four steals on Friday night.

Much like his 19-point performance last Saturday against the Pistons, Martin seemed to be in the middle of almost everything good for the Sixers all night long. He’s been particularly strong lately at both attacking decisively and anticipating where to use his tremendous athleticism.

The defense wins the day

Franz Wagner continued his 35 points in the Magic’s win over the Sixers on Wednesday, scoring 15 of Orlando’s first 19 points. These included three long-range shots.

After that, the Magic were unable (almost literally) to make a three-pointer for the first three quarters. Orlando started an atrocious 5 of 30 from three-point territory. The Sixers again varied their defense and often played in the zone. The Magic continued to make do with deep jumpers and didn’t often leverage their size advantages.

The Sixers built a nine-point lead at halftime, but their outside shooting was similarly poor. In the third quarter, they fell to 3 for 18 from distance when a Maxey jumper grazed the front edge. Both teams focused more on driving into the paint and making contact whenever possible. Maxey was again visibly upset by his lack of free throws. He finally drew a tie with 3.7 seconds left in the third quarter.

After Drummond committed four fouls and was on the bench, Moe Wagner’s second-chance layup cut Orlando’s deficit to 59-57. The Sixers responded perfectly and went on a 10-0 run. Maxey played a key role by converting two layups and assisting McCain in the third corner.

The Sixers extended their lead to 78-61 on a hard-fought George three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. From there, Orlando made the Sixers sweat. Jalen Suggs (22 points) got hot and the Sixers missed a couple of foul shots in the crucial minute. The team’s lead fell to just four points.

In the end, a catastrophic collapse was not expected. The Sixers defended very well most of the game and deserved their win.