The Philadelphia 76ers (27-13) got away for the weekend, starting with a matchup against the Orlando Magic (22-20). Joel Embiid destroyed everything in his path as the Sixers won 124-109.

Let’s break down the Sixers' win.

76ers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 36 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 12-22 FG shooting

The big fella was all the way in his bag in this game. With 28 points in the first half on just 14 shots from the field, it was obvious that, despite being the third-best defense in the NBA by defensive rating, the Magic had nothing to stop him.

Embiid rained in jumper after jumper and willed his way to the paint routinely. He generated turnovers often on defense, reaching a new season-high in steals. His first half may have been one of his very best of what is already an incredible season. The second half featured just the third quarter, which wasn’t unreal but was good enough to save his legs.

Tyrese Maxey: 32 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 10-20 FG shooting

After getting his rise to stardom stamped by a GQ magazine profile, Maxey shook off a frigid start and stuffed the stat sheet. He got a lot of good looks and kept hunting space to fire away, which eventually paid off in the second half when the shots started to fall. Among the most important aspects of his improvements is how he is able to swing the game further in Philly's favor when Embiid sits.

Magic player notes:

Paolo Banchero: 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 5-12 FG shooting

Orlando's young star displayed an impressive vision of the floor, getting the ball where it needed to go when he wasn’t looking for his own points. The Magic needed to run more offense through him not just because of how good he is and the lack of scoring/creation around the roster but because his main co-star was sidelined. His tendency for fadeaway far away from the paint was a bit too high but it wouldn’t have made much of a difference for the game if it wasn't.

Game recap:

1st half

Look everyone, Embiid played a road game against a good team! I'm sure everyone who blasted him without hesitation or a shred of nuance will atone. The 76ers took care of business against the Magic without Embiid in their first matchup of the season. Now, they faced them without one of their stars, Franz Wagner. Philly was without De'Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, Jaden Springer and former Magic man Mo Bamba.

Tobias Harris, another former Orlando player, guarded Banchero. The Sixers used Embiid as a high screener to open up the floor against the big Magic starting five, leading to a hot start. But the rough-and-tumble Magic clawed back into it with an effort that included forcing a five-second violation on Philly.

Jalen Suggs covered ground like a skyscraper's shadow, running all around to defend the all, blocking a Harris layup from behind and charging ahead for fast breaks. Embiid was a force the Magic could not surmount on both ends. He poked passes away to forced turnovers and was scoring at will, partly because he would end some fast breaks by sealing his defender from the hoop and scoring easily. He also hit a ridiculous shot off the basket camera that of course did not count but was so insane that it should have.

Emiid got popped in the mouth by Jonathan Isaac's elbow as the Magic forward went up for a dunk. Both teams exchanged buckets as the opening quarter wound down, though Philly's defense was quite strong for much of the period. The 76ers toggled through defenses to start the second quarter but were uplifted by Harris, who saw red like a bull and charged into the paint with consistency.

Patrick Beverley and Joe Ingles jawed a bit as they crossed paths during a timeout and the Magic went up by four. Orlando scored in the paint far too easily while the 76ers struggled to get such looks with Embiid on the bench. Wendell Carter Jr.'s size on the boards was a big factor there. Nonetheless, Philly had come to play defensively, regaining the lead when Maxey stripped Carter of the ball and finished at the rim in transition.

Embiid threw himself a lob off the backboard for a thunderous dunk. That middie at the nail looked as easy as ever. He quarterbacked the defense and, with some aggression on the offensive glass from him and his teammates, went up by 10 in the midst of a 16-2 run over three minutes. Embiid stamped his imprint on every inch of the game as he headed into the locker room with the lead.

At the half, the Sixers led 68-60.

2nd half

Not to be too outdone, Maxey got the half started by hanging for a scoop layup that he finished on the opposite side of the hoop. He then walked into a three off of a dribble-handoff with Embiid, who couldn’t immediately rediscover his unbelievable groove. Banchero threatened to steal the limelight by cutting the deficit in half with crisp jumpers.

A running sky hook broke the second-half seal for Embiid. The Magic, a roster full of players that are the personification of physical and/or pesky, refused to stay down. There was a bit too much creating on offense from Suggs, who shot poorly and whose value primarily comes on defense anyway. Although he can change up his release speed and footwork on layups, he took too many jump shots for Orlando's own good.

The 76ers went on another big run at the end of the third quarter to take their biggest lead of the night heading into the fourth quarter. A highly efficient quarter from Maxey played a huge part in the lead growing and he kept it going in the final frame. Morris provided some key buckets, too.

Maxey's dunking renaissance has caught some eyeballs and, although he didn’t throw one down, he attacked the rim like he was going to and was rewarded with free throws. He ran across the court to hit a fall-away triple as the 76ers looked to secure the win while affording Embiid some more rest. As the lead reached the 20s, it was an outcome that grew increasingly likely.

The Magic started to chip away with some clean fast-break scores but Beverley snuffed out the threat via stingy defense. Orlando was unable to bring the deficit below 15 points until the final handful of minutes, which featured Terquavion Smith making his NBA debut and Ricky Council IV scoring his first NBA points. Terq, of course, came out gunning and hit a pair of threes. It couldn’t have gone any other way for the walking bucket.

Embiid may not have delivered the final blow but he was so dominant that the Sixers were able to coast at the end of the game.  The Magic had an army. But the 76ers had a Hulk.

Random tidbits:

  • These throwback Magic uniforms and court are wonderful in every way.
  • Kate Scott describing PatBev getting a board over his shoulder as a “Willie Mays-esque rebound” was great.

The 76ers are back in action tomorrow night against the Charlotte Hornets.