Sixers Fastbreak: Preseason Continues Against Magic

By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly Staff 

The Philadelphia 76ers (1-0) continue their preseason schedule tonight at 7:00 p.m. against the Orlando Magic (0-0). Let's run through the Sixers Fastbreak to get you ready for Friday's exhibition match-up at the Wells Fargo Center.

Previous Game Rewind: On Friday night, the Sixers beat NBL's Melbourne United by 20. Joel Embiid led the charge with 20 points (7-11 FG) while Markelle Fultz contributed with 14 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks in 23 minutes of action. Fultz started the game with veteran JJ Redick coming off the bench to score 13 points. Ben Simmons tallied 14 assists to go along with eight rebounds and eight points and a team high +19. New addition Wilson Chandler played just four minutes before injuring his hamstring and will miss at least 2-3 weeks. 

Storylines heading into the game…

1. Depth - It's been just one preseason game and the Sixers depth has already taken a blow. Wilson Chandler is sidelined with an injured hamstring and over the weekend, Jerryd Bayless suffered a knee injury. While fans may not really care a whole lot about Bayless' injury, Brett Brown has been impressed with him in practice and during training camp. Bayless played 14 minutes and scored four points to go along with three rebounds against Melbourne United. With Chandler and Bayless out, look for TJ McConnell to get time at the point with the second unit and for Brown to give guys like Furkan Korkmaz and Landry Shamet more than just garbage time in the fourth quarter.

2. Fultz jumper - Markelle Fultz looked comfortable and confident on Friday night. Look for that to continue against the Magic. Fultz displayed a full array of what he's capable of, from getting to the rim to chase-down blocks. There were still moments where he passed up open jumpers to attempt a drive to the rim, but all in all, it was a positive showing from the former first overall pick,. 

3. Robert Covington - For a guy that's normally criticized game-by-game by Sixers fans, the Covington front was awful quiet on Friday night, which was surprising. He scored just one point in 24 minutes, attempting just three shots. We did see RoCo take some chances with drives to the rim, so look for him to continue to try that as the preseason progresses.

4. Starting five - Brett Brown isn't Gabe Kapler, so we expect to see a similar starting lineup in game two. Starting Fultz allows Redick to sub in for him after 4-5 minutes and Markelle can then return to run the point when Ben Simmons needs a break. 

5. A Look at the Magic: Not a whole lot has changed with the Magic from last year with the exception of their draft pick, Mo Bamba. Bamba worked with Drew Hanlen this summer and got to go up against Sixers big man Joel Embiid during workouts. Bamba was grateful to be able to work alongside Embiid, a player he models himself after.

"It’s amazing seeing someone as big as he is being as comfortable doing all kinds of different things,’’ Bamba told John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com. "That’s a small part of my game that I’m trying to expand on. Just having him as living, breathing model of what I kind of envision for myself is nice.’’

Projected Lineups: 

Matchup Preview  |  October 1, 2018
@
Orlando Magic
(0-0, Away)
  Philadelphia 76ers
(1-0, Home)
Projected Starters
D.J. Augustin Point Guard Ben Simmons
Evan Fournier Shooting Guard Markelle Fultz
Jonathan Issac Small Forward Robert Covington
Aaron Gordon Power Forward Dario Saric
Nikola Vucevic Center Joel Embiid
Injury Report
    Jerryd Bayless (questionable/knee)
    Wilson Chandler (out/hamstring)
    Zhaire Smith (out/foot)

Game Information:

Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA

TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia, NBA TV

Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic

Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

 

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