Sixers Issue Magic Their First Loss of the Season on New Year's Eve

Winning on the road was a tough task last season for the Philadelphia 76ers. After failing to pick up at least ten victories away from home during the 2019-2020 NBA season, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers looked forward to taking on the challenge of turning things around for Philly during the 2020-2021 NBA season.

So far, Rivers' Sixers are doing a solid job. Last Saturday, the Sixers took care of business on the road at Madison Square Garden with a big win over the New York Knicks. Although they failed to impress without Joel Embiid in Cleveland on Sunday, the 76ers looked much better on the road in Orlando on New Year's Eve.

The Magic are never an easy opponent for the Sixers. And this year, Orlando's 4-0 record heading into Thursday night made it seem like the 76ers were going to have their hands full -- but quite the opposite happened.

Right out of the gate, the Sixers were on fire on both ends. Through the first 12 minutes of action, Philly outscored Orlando 38-22, as Joel Embiid and Seth Curry combined for 22 points. Hot starts have been foreign to the Sixers this season, so it was unclear if they would be able to maintain their strong lead or not moving forward.

The Sixers didn't let up. They scored another 37 points in the second quarter as the Magic shot just 28-percent from the field. Heading into halftime, the 76ers had a lopsided 75-40 lead over Orlando. Although Philly came out slightly rusty in the second-half, their lead was too large for the Magic to overcome.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Sixers felt comfortable rolling out the rest of their bench, giving key members of the rotation the rest of the night off. After a dominant all-around performance by the Sixers, Philly will ring in the new year with a 116-92 victory over Orlando, moving to 4-1 on the year.