The Summer League Sixers fell just short of a 30-point comeback, falling 99-92 to the Orlando Magic Wednesday afternoon. At 2-2, their chances at the Summer League title are over, they’ll play one more consolation game that has yet to be announced.
Labaron Philon Jr., going cold for the first time this summer, finished with 15 points shooting 7-of-24 from the field along with six assists and four turnovers. Duke Miles put up 15 as well but shot 6-of-9 from the floor along with three assists. Amani
Lyles finished with 18 points and six rebounds on 7-of-12 shooting while Jase Richardson led all scorers with 25. Johni Broome was unavailable for this one.
This game at least started drastically different than the Sixers’ previous outing. They were able to hit Philon up ahead with a pass off the opening tip for a layup. Despite getting some open looks, his jumper wasn’t falling for him as easily as it had been as he missed his next eight shots. He finally got one to go as the first quarter was winding down, but his follow up attempt got wedgied in between the backboard.
Orlando on the other hand got off to a torrid start, making eight of their first nine shots following Richardson’s lead. The pull-up jumpers he nailed early set the tone as the Magic shot 69% from the field in the first half. The 12 Sixers’ turnovers also helped the Magic get out to an early double digit lead they held for most of the night, Philon was responsible for three of them.
Philon appeared to find a rhythm when he hit some midranges off the dribble in the third quarter, but he could not buy a three ball on the night.
Unike the game before, the Sixers were able to work a 30-point lead all the way down to single digits as the second half wore on. They did so thanks to a better shooting night from Miles. He also made some flashy plays in transition with Lyles, who was able to bang around in the post to put up another solid stat line. Dante Maddox Jr. wasn’t able to even out his 4-of-13 shooting line, but he scored 14 of his 15 points in the second half.
Two consecutive steals into layups were followed by two more threes, allowing the Sixers to cut the lead to four with a minute and a half remaining. Richardson was able to get a bucket to stop the bleeding. Maddox nearly buried a three to make it a one-possession game, but it rimmed out and the Magic were able to hold on despite a noble second-half effort from the bunch.
Before we put this Summer League to rest, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the old Sixers’ friends on this Orlando Summer League roster. There’s Ricky Council IV, Lester Quinones, Colin Castleton, and Philip Wheeler, who didn’t even have a Wikipedia page when the Sixers signed him late in 2025. Wheeler has averaged 18 a game this summer on 50% shooting, good for him! All four of these guys had parts to play in the Sixers 2025 tank that landed them VJ Edgecombe.
Bell Ringer
Standings
- Isaac Johnson – 1
- Labaron Philon Jr. – 2
Candidates
- Duke Miles
- Amani Lyles
- Labaron Philon Jr.
- Dante Maddox Jr.
