ORLANDO, Fla. — In a game in which the last five minutes took almost as long as the first 43, the 76ers had just enough time — and help from the officiating crew — to pull out a 112-11 win over the Orlando Magic.
T.J. McConnell tossed in a runner in the lane with 5.8 seconds to go for the game-winning basket as the Sixers ended a five-game slide with a flourish at the finish.
McConnell’s game-winner came after the Sixers won a jump ball when the officials couldn’t decide who was responsible for the ball floating out of bounds with 13 seconds left on the clock. It was one of three decisions in the final minutes made by the review officials at NBA headquarters in New Jersey.
The action really started with 4:45 to go when Dario Saric, who scored a career-high 24 points, rattled off five straight points to tie the game at 98-98. After Saric’s driving layup to tie things up, Magic forward Serge Ibaka elbowed Nerlens Noel and the two started a jawing match that took five minutes for officials to figure out both men deserved a technical.
Orlando came back and scored seven straight points to go up, 105-98, but the Sixers weren’t done. Saric, Ersan Ilyasova and McConnell combined for a late-game rally that McConnell capped with a driving floater.
The Magic still had 5.8 seconds, but no timeouts and never even got off a shot attempt. Evan Fournier nearly traveled with the inbounds pass and heaved a desperation pass that McConnell easily picked off to end the game.
NBA
The Sixers played the last three minutes of the game without a center.
Inside the box score
• The Sixers’ bench outscored the starters, 65-47, led by Saric with 24. Nik Stauskas had 13, Sergio Rodriguez had 12 and Noel 10. Ilyasova was the only starter in double figures with 16.
• All five Sixers starters finished the night in the minus on the plus-minus chart while all five reserves had plus evenings.
• Fournier led the Magic with 24 points and ex-Sixer center Nikola Vucevic had 21 points and 11 rebounds.
• The Sixers won despite shooting only 42.1 percent for the game to 48.8 for the Magic.
• The Sixers took advantage of 21 Magic turnovers to score 25 points. The Sixers had just 15 turnovers that cost them 11 points.
Saric’s streak
Saric, who started the game 0 for 6, hit four straight in the final 2:39 of the second period, including a pair of three-pointers for 12 points to give the Sixers a 55-48 halftime lead.
High percentage
Noel’s first three shots were all lob dunks. He and Rodriguez, who hit his first three three-point attempts, sparked the bench’s 14-for-23 (60.8 percent) first-half shooting that helped wipe out a 15-point first-quarter deficit.
Up next
The Sixers return home for a Saturday matchup against the Miami Heat. They suffered a 125-102 loss to the Heat in Miami last Saturday.