Famously described by commentator Fran Franschilla as being two

PHILADELPHIA -- Orlando Magic coach Frank Vogel had a simple trick to help his team get over a brutal loss in Memphis the previous night.I let them sleep in, Vogel said.Aaron Gordon scored a season-high 20 points, Nikola Vucevic had 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists and the Magic awoke from its slumber to cruise by the Philadelphia 76ers 105-88 in a matchup of slumping Eastern Conference teams Friday night.Serge Ibaka, Evan Fournier and Jeff Green all added 16 points for the Magic (8-12), who had lost five of six coming in, including a one-point loss to the Grizzlies on Thursday in which they blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead.I thought we played well last night and we just didnt close the game out, Vogel said. Were continuing to show we have one of the top defenses in the league. Were going to be a great defensive team and were going to score enough to win.Bismack Biyombo had 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies, who shot 50 percent from 3-point range and 47.4 percent from the field.The Sixers (4-15) lost their fifth straight despite 25 points and 10 rebounds from rookie Joel Embiid. It was his fifth double-double of the season.Jahlil Okafor, who saw extended action with Embiid for the first time this season, also had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds.Nobody else scored in double figures for the Sixers, who shot 37.9 percent from the field. They missed 20 of their 26 shot attempts in the first quarter and allowed the Magic to go on an early 16-0 run to fall behind for good.Sometimes you read so much into back-to-backs, Sixers coach Brett Brown said. You assume people are tired or depressed because they lost at the buzzer. I give them credit. They came in and played with great energy. I dont know how to explain that.The game was the first for the rested Sixers in four days after Wednesdays scheduled matchup against the Sacramento Kings was postponed because of moisture on the Wells Fargo Center court.TIP-INSMagic: Orlando was back in the same building where it overcame an 18-point deficit in a 103-101 win over the Sixers a little more than a month ago. The Magic have won four straight vs. Philly. ... The Magic have two games left of a five-game trip.76ers: Robert Covington left in the fourth quarter with a left knee sprain after logging nine points and six rebounds. ... PG Jerryd Bayless missed his third straight game with left wrist soreness after previously sitting out the first 13 games.THE EMBIID-OKAFOR EXPERIMENTEmbiid and Okafor looked sharp when paired together as the crowd roared in delight watching the two cornerstones of the franchises rebuilding effort. In the second quarter, Embiid hit a 3-pointer, fed Okafor for a basket and then hit a jumper to pull the Sixers within 23-21.During their second stint together in the fourth quarter, the two centers produced 12 of the teams 19 points while combining to shoot 5 for 5 from the field in just over 7 minutes.I thought we had our moments, said Embiid, who had his minutes restriction increased from 24 to 28 two days after being named the NBAs Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November. We made shots. Obviously we need to play more together.MEEKS BIG RETURNMagic guard Jodie Meeks made his season debut after a foot injury held him out for the first 19 games. He finished with 10 points and three steals in 17 minutes, while shooting 2 for 3 from 3-point range.Vogel didnt think it was a coincidence that the sharpshooters return coincided with Orlandos best shooting night of the season.Its contagious, I guess, Vogel said. It was good to see him back out there. He was a little rusty in certain areas but thats to be expected. But he looked a lot less rusty than I thought he would.CLUTCH SHOOTING (AND PASSING)The Magic put the game away in the third quarter thanks to consecutive 3s from D.J. Augustin followed by one from Gordon -- shots Vogel called pivotal.Gordon, who shot 9 for 14 from the field and 2 for 4 from 3-point range, credited the teams passing for all of the baskets.I think our passing was very good tonight, he said. We were on time and on target.UP NEXTMagic: At Detroit on Sunday night.76ers: Host Boston on Saturday night. Custom San Diego Padres Jerseys . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Cheap Padres Jerseys . Anthony Davis had 31 points and 17 rebounds in his seventh straight game with more than 20 points, but that was only enough to keep the Pelicans competitive into the final minutes. Andrew Bogut had 10 points and 15 rebounds for Golden State, which rebounded from a loss a night earlier in Oklahoma City and snapped a two-game skid. https://www.cheappadresjerseys.us/ . Third-seeded Murray had the easiest path to victory on New Years Eve, barely breaking a sweat during his 6-0, 6-0 win over 2,129th-ranked Qatari wildcard recipient Mousa Shanan Zayed. San Diego Padres Pro Shop . The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup. Padres Jerseys 2019 . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. TORONTO -- DeMar DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors showed last spring that they have what it takes to win in the NBA playoffs.Now all the Raptors need to do is figure out a way past LeBron James.Nothing to it, right?Back in May, the deepest postseason run in Raptors history ended with a six-game loss to James and the eventual champion Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Between Cleveland and Miami, James has represented the East in six straight NBA Finals.All-Star guard DeRozan, who signed a $139 million, five-year deal to remain a Raptor, believes having a healthy DeMarre Carroll will be big help in trying to control James.Knee surgery in January derailed Carrolls first year with the Raptors, limiting him to 26 games. He returned in April and appeared in every playoff game, despite not being completely recovered. After Toronto was eliminated, Carroll took a month off to let swelling subside. With the new season set to start, hes finally back at full strength.It was tough for us last year to figure out ways to play without him, DeRozan said. Even when he came back he wasnt his full self and we still managed to make history. To have him back at the start of the season fully healthy is going to give us everything weve been searching for.Toronto wont have to wait long to see how it measures up against James and the Cavs -- the teams meet twice in the first 10 games, then dont face off again until the final night of the regular season next April.DeRozan said theres no shortage of motivation when it comes to trying to close the gap on Cleveland as a new season starts with every team on level termsIts the motivation of knowing what it felt like being two games away from having an opportunity to compete for a championship, DeRozan said. Were at the bottom of the hill now. Weve got to work our way up and take on every challenge that were going to face.Here are some other things to know about the Raptors this season.LAST CHANCE WITH LOWRY?Like DeRozan did this year, All-Star guard Kyle Lowry is expected to opt out of the final year of his contract next summer, joining a potentially star-studded group of free aggents.dddddddddddd Until then, however, Lowry isnt interested in talking about his future. Im really focused on helping my team be the best team they can be, getting to the point where we can take the next step, he said.THE NEW GUYTorontos only newcomer with NBA experience, Jared Sullinger, left Boston to a sign a one-year deal with the Raptors. Hes expected to start in the front court alongside Jonas Valanciunas. Coach Dwane Casey envisions Sullinger as a rebounding asset who can also spread the floor and connect from long range. I trust his 3-point shooting, Casey said. We want him to take it, we encourage him to take it.TWO MORE YEARSTwo years after being drafted, Brazilian prospect Bruno Caboclo isnt close to making regular contributions to the Raptors. Caboclo spent the bulk of last season with Torontos D-League team, averaging 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 37 games. Famously described by commentator Fran Franschilla as being two years away from being two years away when he was drafted in 2014, Caboclo figures to be back in the D-League this season, honing his game with help from new coach Jerry Stackhouse.PASSPORT CONTROLWith a roster that already featured two Brazilians (Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira), a Lithuanian (Valanciunas), and a Canadian (Cory Joseph), the Raptors added more international assets on draft night. Torontos two first round picks were seven-foot center Jakob Poeltl, the first Austrian in NBA history, and forward Pascal Siakam, one of three NBA players from Cameroon.CALMER TIMESLast season was a whirlwind for the Raptors. Besides their deep playoff run, they launched a D-League team, moved into a new practice facility, travelled to London for a January game against Orlando, and hosted the All-Star game for the first time in February. Incredible year, it was go, go, go, go, go, said Masai Ujiri, the teams president. You name it, we did it. Its tough on our players and everybody. Having a little less on the agenda this season could be a blessing for Toronto. ' ' '