ORLANDO, Fla. -- After carving up the Philadelphia 76ers like a Thanksgiving turkey for the better part of the first half Wednesday night, the Orlando Magic found themselves in a bit of a struggle.
Forced to get by without Jameer Nelson, who sprained his left foot in the first half, the Magic were still able to come away with a 105-94 victory. Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 16 rebounds as the Magic improved their record to 6-9 and posted wins on consecutive nights for the first time this season.
Glen Davis, who made his first start at power forward Tuesday night in a 109-92 victory at Atlanta, scored 19 points. Arron Afflalo was held to three points in the first half but scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, which began with the Magic up only 77-73.
The Sixers started to make things interesting with a 9-0 run to close the first half after the Magic had built a 14-point lead. Although the Magic -- who were playing their fourth game in five nights -- had cut down on their ball-handling mistakes in recent games, they committed four turnovers during the final three minutes.
E'Twaun Moore started the second half in place of Nelson.
The Sixers went into the game allowing an average of 109.3 points a contest, the worst such figure in the league.
Officials Jason Phillips and Brent Barnsky needed to work the final three quarters by themselves. Tre Maddox, who was the third member of the crew, had to leave after saying he "heard something pop."
Two free throws by Afflalo and a 3-pointer by Victor Oladipo gave the Magic some much-needed breathing room after their lead had dwindled to 93-89.
Sixers forward Thaddeus Young, who had missed their last three games due to personal reasons, came off the bench to lead them in scoring with 26 points in 29 minutes.
Oladipo had 18 points for the Magic, while Michael Carter-Williams scored 23 points for the 76ers. They are the only two rookies in the league averaging in double figures this season.
Friday night vs. San Antonio, 7 p.m. (FOX Sports Florida).
You can follow Ken Hornack on Twitter @HornackFSFla or email him at khornack32176@gmail.com.
