A 21-fun salute
Ross hits huge trey, Magic rally past 76ers with 21-0 run in 4th
The Amway Center crowd seemed to take significant enjoyment in a pair of turnovers by former Orlando Magic player J.J. Redick in the final 30 seconds Wednesday night.
The hometown fans got even more joy out of a Terrence Ross 3-pointer with 8.7 seconds left. The huge trey came after a Redick offensive foul, and it sent visiting Philadelphia and new acquisition Jimmy Butler home with a 111-106 loss.
Jonathan Isaac, however, was responsible for the loudest roar of the night from the Amway faithful. Isaac, playing limited minutes in his first game back after missing six consecutive contests due to a sprained ankle, only needed a few seconds to make his presence felt.
His massive block of a dunk attempt by 7-foot, 260-pound 76ers center Joel Embiid with 7:50 left in the game not only had the crowd fired up, but it led to some electric energy for the Magic, who would go on a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter, erase a 16-point Philly lead and seize the momentum.
Nikola Vucevic led Orlando with 30 points and 8 rebounds while Aaron Gordon had 17 and six, Wes Iwundu found his stroke for 11 points and Ross finished with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Embiid was in charge in the first half, scoring 13 points in nine minutes to start the game, but Orlando put the shackles on the big man in the second half, frustrating him to the point he scored just six points in the final 24 minutes.
Redick was responsible for the Sixers bolting out to a 16-point lead, but the late miscues proved costly. Redick, who said prior to the game doing well against his former team didn’t necessarily make the accomplishment any more meaningful, had 10 points in the third and finished with a team-high 22. Butler added 14 points and four rebounds.