ORLANDO, Fla. — It took five tries, but the Philadelphia 76ers finally won a game without Joel Embiid.
The Sixers knocked off the Orlando Magic, 112-92, on the road Wednesday behind strong performances up and down the roster. Tyrese Maxey bounced back, scoring 23 points. De’Anthony Melton and Tobias Harris added 22 points each.
Paul Reed bounced back from a frustrating performance in the Christmas Day loss to the Miami Heat as well. He had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
“I just had to change my approach to the game,” Reed said after the win. “My mindset coming into this game, I told myself to be more aggressive, and more assertive when I get the ball, and it helped get my teammates open tonight.”
Reed normally can produce when the time calls for it. He did so against the Magic, but it was certainly a struggle in Miami. For him to come up big and help the Sixers win a game without Joel Embiid is important.
“It’s definitely a milestone,” Reed added. “Last year, we won a lot of games without Joel, so I knew this team was capable of doing it and I’m proud of our guys. Tonight, we came out and handled business.”
The Sixers winning against a very good Magic team without the big fella is impressive. Just about everybody contributed.
“Definitely,” added Marcus Morris Sr. “I know that’s been hanging in the realm of not being able to win games without big dog, and rightfully so. We hadn’t won any so being able to get this one against a young, up-and-coming team like that that plays hard. It’s a good win tonight.”
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