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Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Sixers takeaways: KJ Martin steps up, Paul George excels at point forward

by Keith Pompey
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KJ Martin has turned into a key rotation player. The 76ers are at their best with Paul George as the point forward. And the Sixers have started to turn things around and are definitely playing much better. Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 102-94 victory over the Orlando Magic Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.

Matt Slocum / AP

Martin steps up again

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Martin thrived as the Sixers’ sixth man on Friday. He made his first five shots en route to making 9-of-10 attempts to finish with a season-high 20 points. It was his third double-figure scoring performance in the last four games. 

At the beginning of the season, Martin was viewed as a tradeable asset to acquire a valued power forward. But while undersized at 6-foot-6, he’s showing that he can thrive off the bench at power forward and small forward.

Matt Slocum / AP

PG plays well as point forward

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

George came to the Sixers to be a versatile third option behind Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. However, this current iteration of the squad is at its best with the ball in his hands. The Sixers’ offense runs smoothly and frees up Maxey.

On Friday, George kept finding cutters and spot up three-point shooters. But he remained a scoring threat and kept Magic defenders honest. The nine-time All-Star finished with 21 points and nine assists.

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

Sixers show improvement

Yong Kim / Staff Photographer

The Sixers have been one of the league’s biggest disappointments. A lot of that had to do with their Big Three of Maxey, Embiid and George only playing 6 minutes, 9 seconds together. But the Sixers have now won three of their last four.