The Sixers defense can’t get enough stops in their 106-102 loss to the Orlando Magic

The 76ers face a unique challenge dealing with injuries – something the Orlando Magic are fortunate not to have to deal with.

When Magic All-Star forward Paolo Banchero was diagnosed with a torn right oblique, the team knew he would be sidelined for four to six weeks. But the Sixers are grappling with uncertainty over how long Joel Embiid will be out due to left knee injury treatment, along with injuries to Paul George and other players that have led to constantly rotating lineups.

The Sixers came close, but couldn’t overcome that lack of consistency in Wednesday’s 106-102 loss to the Magic at Wells Fargo Center.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope made two foul shots with 8.0 seconds left to give Orlando a three-point lead. After a timeout, Tyrese Maxey missed a running three-pointer. The Magic grabbed the rebound and Franz Wagner was fouled. The forward made two free throws to put Orlando ahead 105-100 with 3.1 seconds left.

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The Sixers’ KJ Martin used the ensuing possession to secure the game with three points. But after a timeout, Jalen Suggs separated two foul shots to give Orlando a four-point win.

Wagner finished the game with 35 points to go and seven rebounds, Jared McCain led the Sixers (5-15) with 24 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. and Guerschon Yabusele each contributed 15 points.

Maxey had 16 points and six assists, but made just 7 of 19 shots – including 0 of 7 on three-pointers.

The Magic (16-8) capitalized on their 42-35 rebounding advantage.

It was a game in which the home team was without seven-time All-Star center Embiid, nine-time All-Star George (left knee recovery), backup center Andre Drummond (right ankle sprain) and backup point guard Kyle Lowry (right) had to miss hip recovery).

Without Embiid and Drummond, the Sixers had no one guarding the paint. And the Magic took full advantage, scoring 64 points. They also missed George’s versatility and Lowry’s ball-handling and leadership.

“It’s very difficult,” coach Nick Nurse said of the lack of continuity as several games were played without key players. “I think that we…I hope that we’ll get these guys together here at the same time pretty soon. And then start working on continuity.

“But your question is difficult. Guys are in and out and we’re trying to figure it out.”

One of the difficulties is figuring out what roles the players play and how they change from night to night. Nurse believes the Sixers have made some progress.

Since the squad was mostly new, the coaching staff initially didn’t know how the players would react in the games. They also had to figure out which position players look better in certain lineup combinations.

“It shifts quite a bit depending on who’s in there,” Nurse said.

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Embiid practiced on the court a few hours before the game. Wednesday night’s loss was the sixth straight game he missed. The 2023 league MVP has missed 16 of the team’s first 20 games due to injury treatments, left knee swelling, personal reasons and a three-game suspension.

Nurse said there is a chance Embiid will play in Friday’s home game, including against the Magic. George had the night off after playing a season-best 37 minutes, 17 seconds in Tuesday night’s win over the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. It was his second game back, having missed the previous three due to a bone bruise in his knee.

The 1.80 meter tall, 100 kilogram George has missed ten games this season because he suffered multiple bone bruises associated with a hyperextended knee. As a result, the Sixers’ big three of Maxey, Embiid and George have played just 6:09 together this season.

Meanwhile, this was the second of three games Drummond, who started 11 games, is expected to miss after suffering a sprained ankle Saturday night against the Detroit Pistons. And Lowry, who started 10 games, returned Tuesday after missing the last five games.

“Whenever starting players go out of the lineup, the roles shift and the team has to adapt to a slightly different style or there are other things they can do,” Nurse said. “How much of a menu can they understand, etc. The most important thing is that we try to be organized on basic things just to make sure we are organized.

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“We invest a lot of time there. The workouts were steady and long, perhaps not at 100 miles per hour like we’re used to. But they are lengthy and thorough and just do basic organizational tasks with different lineups, and the guys did a good job.”

That night, the Sixers introduced their 13th different starting lineup of the season with Oubre, Martin, Yabusele, McCain and Maxey.