With Joel Embiid sidelined, Paul George's scoring punch and Jalen Suggs' lockdown defense will be key factors in this play-in matchup.
Nick Nurse made the matchup sound like the kind of game that can get ugly in a hurry. When asked about Orlando, he called the Magic a "physical team" with "big wings and aggressive guards" and added that they are a talented team with good depth. That description shows that Nurse is aware that the game will come down to who can impose their will and play their style of basketball the best.
For Philadelphia, the biggest X factor is Paul George. With Joel Embiid out indefinitely after appendectomy surgery, the Sixers need a second reliable source of offense besides Tyrese Maxey, and George's recent stretch suggests he is capable of filling that role. Over his last 10 games, George has averaged 21.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists, and earlier this month, he scored a season high of 39 points against the Washington Wizards.
George does not have to carry Philadelphia, but he does need to provide a scoring punch that keeps Orlando from zeroing in on Maxey. If he can create a few buckets in isolation, hit timely jumpers, and space the floor, then the Sixers' half-court offense becomes harder to deal with. Without Embiid, George will need to step up and provide an offensive spark in a game where the Magic want to do everything they can to slow the game down and turn it into a defensive slugfest.
On the other side, Jalen Suggs is the kind of defender who can shift a game without needing a big scoring night. Suggs owns a defensive rating of 111.2 this season, and the Magic have posted a 112.4 defensive rating with him on the court. This would be good for 8th in the NBA if stretched out for a full season. He also averages 1.9 steals a game, a reminder of how disruptive he can be as a point of attack defender. Nurse's comments about Orlando's "aggressive guards" feel relevant because Suggs is the kind of player who can stifle guards and stall out possessions.
This is why the matchup feels largely even. If George gives Philadelphia the scoring lift they need, the Sixers can keep pace without Embiid. If Suggs can slow down Philadelphia's guards and make them work for every clean look, then Orlando can turn this game into a slow half-court grind. In a single-game setting, these two X factors may matter more than anything else.
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Wes Dixon is a contributing writer to 76ersRoundtable. He can be reached at dixonwesley286@gmail.com.