ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orlando Magic and Philadelphia 76ers, two teams that deal with All-Star injuries differently, face off in the NBA Cup on Friday night. Tip-off is 7 p.m. ET at the Kia Center.

The Magic – 7-6 overall, 6-0 at home and 1-0 in Cup play – are riding a four-game winning streak. Their most recent victory, 94-90 over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, moved them into third place in the East.

The Sixers are 2-9 and still waiting to see the newly assembled trio of Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid on the court together. Maxey will miss tonight’s game with a hamstring injury.

Key returners (2024-25 stats)

Key additions

Key departures

Gameday Injury News to Watch

MORE: Magic-Sixers Injury Report – who is in, who is absent for the NBA Cup on Friday?

Notable figures

The Sixers are second to last in the Eastern Conference after 11 games. Six of their nine losses have come by double digits.

Joel Embiid returns Friday night, but it’s only his second game as he continues to deal with issues with his knees. Paul George, who missed six games, will be without a minutes restriction for the first time this season.

Limitations aside, George and Embiid are “Hall of Fame caliber players,” as the Magic explained during Friday morning’s shootout, and Sixers coach Nick Nurse is one of the best of the league, with an NBA title and the honor of coach of the year. This current version of the Sixers, barring further setbacks, should improve.

That said, Orlando must take advantage of the Sixers’ still evolving situation. The Magic are playing well, even without leading scorer Paolo Banchero and starting center Wendell Carter Jr. They have the best home record in the NBA.

In their four home wins, the Magic have held each opponent under 100 points, which is remarkable considering the NBA’s average of 113 points per game. best fourth quarter defense in the leaguethe Magic are allowing a record 103.7 points per game.

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