It was no coincidence that Jameer Nelson played for Orlando last night after missing the earlier game with a concussion.
The Magic was at its best offensively, certainly a 180-degree turnaround from its performance in Philadelphia on Jan. 30 when it scored only 69 points, 18 coming in the final 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Last night, all five starters scored in double figures and performed a classic inside-out game that produced 15 three-pointers, seven of them from forward Ryan Anderson (game-high 27 points).
The Sixers got down by 17 a little more than 7 minutes into the game, and, for the rest of the night, it was like walking against a stiff wind.
"They shot the ball well, and we just played uphill early on in that game," said reserve guard Lou Williams, who came off the bench to lead the team with 21 points and seven assists. "They got off to a good start. We just weren't able to bounce back. They've got four shooters, four guys, so obviously somebody is going to have to guard on the perimeter that is not used to that. Tonight that was our '4s' [power forwards]. When you're used to banging guys on the inside and then, all of the sudden, you have guys spreading the floor and using screen and rolls, that's different territory for them. I just felt tonight was one of those nights, where they made 15 three-point shots. It's hard to play a team like that, especially in their building."
