Suggs ejected from Magic's road blowout of 76ers
Published in Basketball
PHILADELPHIA — The Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers were partaking in a normal basketball game Tuesday night inside Xfinity Mobile Arena until they suddenly weren’t.
Orlando led Philadelphia by 24 points with less than a minute left in the second quarter when Magic center Wendell Carter Jr. and Sixers center Andre Drummond got into it after Drummond fouled Carter.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs then came up behind and pushed Drummond, escalating the situation to a point where both teams were pushing and shoving each other on the court.
After Suggs was ejected, the Magic didn’t slow down. Olrando had nine players finish in double figures and used a 17-0 third quarter run to propel themselves to a 144-103 NBA Cup victory in the second of a three-game road trip.
The Magic last lost at Philadelphia in late-October by 12 points and returned the favor with a 41-point victory Tuesday behind a career-high 31 points from guard Anthony Black and 21 from forward Franz Wagner.
Tuesday’s contest was the 11th time the Magic scored 120-plus points this season and it was the fifth game in a row crossing that scoring mark.
While Orlando (11-8) played its seventh consecutive contest without Paolo Banchero (left groin strain), Philadelphia (9-8) was without All-NBA Paul George and Joel Embiid as well as No. 3 draft pick VJ Edgecombe among other key rotational pieces.
The Magic, who improved to 3-0 in Cup action, wrap up their three-game road Friday at Detroit to close out group play of the Cup.
Suggs’s ejection
Before the Magic guard was tossed from the game, he made his presence felt on both ends of the court.
Although he shot 2 for 7 from the floor (including 0 for 3 from distance) for just four points in 16 minutes, Suggs racked up 11 assists with two steals and two blocks. He added five rebounds.
His 11 assists marked a career-high.
Clearly frustrated with his ejection, Suggs took off his jersey when he was heading towards the locker room and gave it to a Magic fan in attendance.
Black’s big night
Black was the catalyst for a historic second quarter and first half.
He scored in the paint, from beyond the arc and at the free throw line when he crossed his career-high in the first half with 27 points. Black became the 14th player in Orlando history to score 20-plus points in a quarter.
Thanks in large part to Black, the Magic outscored the Sixers 51-25 and led by 26 points, 86-60, at the break after the game was tied at 35 after the first quarter.
Orlando’s 86 points in the first half set a new franchise record for points in any half of action while its 51 points in the second quarter set a franchise record for points in any quarter.
While Black led the bench in scoring, veteran guard Tyus Jones added 10 points when he hit his first pair of 3-pointers late in the first quarter.
Goga Bitadze, who was upgraded from questionable to available pregame after dealing with a sore left ankle, had success scoring near the rim, including off a lob from Suggs in the opening frame. The backup center ended with 10 points and nine rebounds.
Orlando was without Jonathan Isaac, who was ruled out pregame due to back spasms that popped up after morning shootaround.
Rookie watch
Magic second-round pick Noah Penda checked into the game late in the first quarter. The French forward ended with 10 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes.
Fellow rookie Jase Richardson joined him on the court with 10 minutes left. The first round pick closed out the game with seven points in 10 minutes.
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