Jared McCain's 29 points can't save Sixers as they fall to 2-10 after loss to Magic

ORLANDO, Fla. — Joel Embiid got off to a dominant start, but clearly ran out of gas. Paul George never found an offensive groove. And Jared McCain could not maintain his blistering scoring pace before fouling out.

That all led to the 76ers’ eighth loss in their first 10 games to continue their disastrous start to a much-anticipated season, this time a 98-86 defeat to the Orlando Magic Friday night at the Kia Center.

The Sixers fell in what coach Nick Nurse said before the game was a “must-win,” for multiple reasons. His team needs a swift turnaround following their injury-riddled 2-9 start. And after losing Tuesday against the New York Knicks, the Sixers likely needed a victory to stay in contention for the knockout rounds of the in-season tournament now rebranded as the NBA Cup.

The Magic (8-6) flipped a nine-point third-quarter deficit into a double-digit lead in the final period. Orlando put the game away when Franz Wagner (game-high 31 points, 11 rebounds, six assists) followed a transition layup with a three-pointer, before Jalen Suggs (19 points, seven rebounds) banged home a deep shot to push their team’s lead to 92-82 with 3:10 remaining.

While Embiid paced the Sixers in the first half, with an efficient 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, he scored just four points and missed all eight of his shot attempts after the break. Instead, McCain was the third-quarter spark with 15 of his 29 points in the period, including three deep shots to help the Sixers lead by as many as nine. It was the fourth consecutive 20-point game for McCain, the 2024 draft’s 16th overall pick whose play has been the clear silver lining during the Sixers’ early-season struggles.

It was the fifth win in a row for the Magic, who also moved to a perfect 6-0 at home while playing without All-Star Paolo Banchero. Their stingy defense held their fifth consecutive opponent to less than 100 points.

Embiid’s outing came after a rusty debut on Tuesday against the Knicks, before sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers to manage his surgically repaired left knee. The opposite was true for George, who scored a season-high 29 points against the Knicks, also sat out Wednesday’s loss, then went 4-of-15 from the floor for 13 points, five assists, and four rebounds Friday. The Sixers’ splashy free-agent signing, who is coming off a preseason knee bone bruise, missed his first eight shots before draining a three-pointer in the second quarter’s final minute.

The Sixers also continue to wait for their All-Star trio to play together. Point guard Tyrese Maxey missed his fifth consecutive game with a hamstring injury, but has resumed on-court work and will be reevaluated early next week, the team said.

Nurse, meanwhile, tinkered with the rotation Friday. To keep McCain in the starting lineup, Kelly Oubre Jr. (five points, four rebounds in 25 minutes) moved to a bench role. Guerschon Yabusele (four points, two rebounds in 23 minutes) was also Embiid’s backup at center in place of an ill Drummond, who played four first-half minutes.

The Sixers continue this three-game road trip Monday at the Miami Heat, before playing at the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday.