Both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Orlando Magic aren’t going to win the NBA title, and probably not reach the playoffs, although you never know in the super weak Eastern conference. However, while they stride towards a lottery pick, the least they can do is entertain. If seeing a 126-125 win for the Sixers in double overtime isn’t enough, we also got to see, for the first time ever, two rookies on opposite sides of the ball, Victor Oladipo and Michael Carter-Williams, recording triple doubles in the same game.
Oladipo and Carter-Williams were awful in only one aspect – shooting from three. They combined for 1-of-10 on the night, but there was nothing else to complain about. Carter-Williams scored 27 points, adding 12 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals (and also 7 turnovers). Oladipo, on the losing side in a wild game with 23 lead changes, had 26 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals, only it wasn’t enough.
The Magic lost the rebounding battle 34-56 and shot only 6-of-26 from beyond the arc. Still, they made it a special one. Arron Afflalo, maybe bulking him his trade value, had a career high of 43 points, while Glen Davis, playing 50 minutes, also had a career high of 33 points before fouling out.
On the other end, there were plenty of stat fillers for Philly, the 6th best scoring team in the NBA that also allows 110 points per game on defense. Thaddeus Young had a big night with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Evan Turner, another player the Sixers are considering trading later this season, had 24 points but also 8 turnovers. James Anderson added 19 points from the bench.
Glen Davis was the one who sent the game into the first overtime with his first three pointer of the season, tying things at 104. Arron Afflalo was fouled while shooting a three by Turner with 12 seconds left in the second overtime, hitting all 3 shots from the line to send the game into the second overtime, tying things at 118. The Magic fell behind early in the second over time and couldn’t shoot their way back.
It’s too early to see tanking from any of the teams, but if this is part of the program, we’re all for it. The Sixers are even in contention in the Atlantic Division, with no team in it having a winning record. The Sixers, at 7-12, are only one game behind the Charlotte Bobcats for the 8th playoff spot not a lot of teams actually want to get, as strange as that sounds.