The Orlando Magic, the third seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference behind the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 2 Boston Celtics, were stunned in the opening-game of their first-round playoff series against on Sunday, losing 100-98 to the 76ers.
Magic star Dwight Howard, who did his best with a 31-point, 16-rebound performance, said the Magic need to be much more tenacious defensively when they face Philadelphia in Game 2 at home on Wednesday (7 pm ET, NBA TV).
“Our effort has to be a little bit better, especially on the defensive end,” Howard said Sunday. “We came out and the defensive intensity as a whole wasn’t there. For Game 2, we have to come out with a better effort on the defensive end.”
Oddsmakers at betED.com are expecting Orlando to rebound from the loss, as the Magic are a 10-point favorite. The over/under is 193.5.
The Magic, who went 32-9 this season at home, swept the three-game regular season series against Philadelphia.
The Sixers (41-41) had entered the playoffs having just ended a six-game losing streak with a shaky overtime win against a Cleveland team that rested LeBron James and most of its starters.
Andre Iguodala’s fadeaway jumper from the top of the key with a mere 2.2 seconds left in regulation proved to be the game-winner, as Philadelphia overcame an 18-point second-half deficit to take Game 1 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
The sixth-seeded Sixers made 5-of-7 from three-point range in the fourth quarter, including a 3-of-4 effort by veteran Donyell Marshall.
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