Sixers frustrated with officiating in loss to the Magic, including on Tyrese Maxey’s game-tying attempt

There were two no-calls Wednesday that could have altered the outcome of the Sixers’ 106-102 loss to the Magic.

Sixers' Tyrese Maxey shot 7-for-19 with 16 points in a loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer

Published Dec. 5, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

Tyrese Maxey learned a long time ago that calls in his favor are hard to come by.

The 76ers All-Star has frequently been knocked on the floor while driving to the basket only to receive a no-foul call from referees.

But there were two no-calls Wednesday night that could have altered the outcome of the Sixers’ 106-102 loss to the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center.

With 14.5 seconds remaining and the Sixers trailing 101-100, Maxey told a referee that he was going to foul Franz Wagner during a break in the action. After the ball was inbounded, Maxey appeared to put both of his hands on the Magic forward. However, no foul was called. So he ended up sprinting across the court to commit a take foul after 5.1 seconds expired off the clock.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse was asked why his team didn’t foul sooner.

“Tyrese thought he was hitting away with someone over there in the trap, trying to foul,” Nurse said. “They got out of that trap. So we had to chase all the way over to the other side and foul. So we were trying to.”

Then with 5.4 seconds remaining, Maxey appeared to make some contact with a defender before missing a three-pointer with the Sixers down three points. The Sixers were noticeably frustrated that a foul wasn’t called on the play.

Maxey took the high road when asked if he was fouled.

“I feel like I missed the shot,” he said.

Nurse wasn’t as diplomatic.

“Yeah, I mean listen, he broke through there,” the coach said. “Broke through the gap a little bit, and the secondary defender hit him on the arm. And that’s what the video showed — it should have been three free throws. It would have been a great play, right?”

But after the no-call, Jared McCain fouled Wagner with 3.1 seconds left. The forward sank a pair of free throws to put the Magic up five.

“I don’t know if I’m supposed to be talking about the referees or anything, I don’t want to be fined,” Guerschon Yabusele said. “It’s a tough situation. But, yeah, we talked about it, and we were trying to make a quick foul and it didn’t get called. He didn’t see it.

“And the shot looked like it was a foul, especially from my side. But it happened and we were trying to keep on playing. And like I said, stay positive.”