ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Cole Anthony had 27 points, Paolo Banchero scored seven points in the final 1:32 and the Orlando Magic beat the Philadelphia 76ers 104-99 on Sunday night.
Banchero finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his second game back after being sidelined by a torn oblique.
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Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) fouls Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) shoots as Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8), guard Eric Gordon (23) and forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) look on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen (12) and guard Cole Anthony (50) react after a score as Justin Edwards, front right, and guard Eric Gordon (23) look on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to pass the ball as Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele, front right, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen reacts after dunking against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 29 points. Paul George had 25 points, 10 rebounds and six assists before fouling out with the 76ers leading 94-91 with 2:49 left.
Orlando also got a lift from reserve Jonathan Isaac, who had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his first double-double since 2019. Anthony Black finished with 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.
76ers: The loss completed a long weekend for the 76ers, who were once again without center Joel Embiid after losing rookie Jared McCain (surgery on a torn meniscus) for the season on Thursday and losing at home to New Orleans on Friday. Embiid missed his fourth straight game with a sprained left foot.
Magic: The Magic reached the midway point of an injury-riddled season at 23-18, fifth in the Eastern Conference. Rookie forward Tristan da Silva left the game after 61 seconds due to an illness.
A 3-pointer by Maxey accounted for Philadelphia's only points over the final 2:32, during which a three-point lead turned into a five-point loss.
Led by Isaac and Black, Orlando had a 48-11 advantage in bench points.
The 76ers host Oklahoma City on Tuesday. The Magic are at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) fouls Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) shoots as Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8), guard Eric Gordon (23) and forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) look on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black (0) drives to the basket as Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele (28) defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen (12) and guard Cole Anthony (50) react after a score as Justin Edwards, front right, and guard Eric Gordon (23) look on during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) looks to pass the ball as Philadelphia 76ers forward Guerschon Yabusele, front right, defends during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Orlando Magic guard Trevelin Queen reacts after dunking against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Three more Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip are on the verge of being freed Saturday as part of a shaky ceasefire deal that requires Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
The truce that began nearly four weeks ago had been jeopardized in recent days by a tense dispute that threatened to renew the fighting.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to remove more than 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them elsewhere in the region has cast even more doubt on the future of the ceasefire.
But Hamas said Thursday it would move ahead with the release of more hostages after talks with Egyptian and Qatari officials. The group said the mediators had pledged to “remove all hurdles” to assure Israel would allow more tents, medical supplies and other essentials into Gaza.
It will be the sixth swap since the ceasefire took effect on Jan. 19. So far, 21 hostages and over 730 Palestinian prisoners have been freed during the first phase of the truce.
As with previous exchanges, dozens of masked, armed Hamas fighters lined up near a stage festooned with Palestinian flags and the banners of militant factions while music blared from loudspeakers.
The militants are expected to parade the hostages before crowds and cameras onto the stage, which has been set up near a heavily damaged multistory building, before handing them over to the Red Cross. The humanitarian organization will then transport them to Israeli forces
The three hostages set to be released after more than 16 months in captivity are: Iair Horn, 46, a dual citizen of Israel and Argentina; Sagui Dekel Chen, 36, who is American-Israeli; and Alexander (Sasha) Troufanov, 29, who holds Israeli and Russian citizenship.
The trio were abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities in southern Israel during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attack that ignited the devastating war.
Horn was abducted along with his brother, Eitan Horn, who had been staying with him at the time. Eitan remains in captivity.
Dekel Chen had been working outside when militants stormed the kibbutz. His wife hid in a safe room with their two daughters. She gave birth to their third daughter two months later.
Troufanov was taken hostage along with his grandmother, mother and girlfriend. The three women were released during a brief ceasefire in November 2023. Troufanov’s father was killed in the Oct. 7 attack.
The Hamas-linked Prisoners’ Information Office said Friday that 369 Palestinians were set to be released from Israeli prisons on Saturday. It said 36 of those were serving life sentences.
Among the most prominent Palestinian prisoners set to be released is Ahmed Barghouti, 48, a close aide of Marwan Barghouti, a militant leader and iconic Palestinian political figure.
Israel sentenced Ahmed Barghouti to life on charges that he dispatched suicide bombers during the Second Intifada, or Palestinian uprising, in the early 2000s to carry out attacks that killed Israeli civilians. He was arrested alongside Marwan Barghouti in 2002.
Of the 251 people abducted, 73 remain in Gaza, around half of whom are believed to be dead. Nearly all the remaining hostages are men, including Israeli soldiers.
Concern has been growing about the remaining hostages’ condition, particularly after the release of three last Saturday, who emerged looking emaciated and frail.
One of them, 65-year-old Keith Siegel, said Friday in a video message addressed to Trump that his captors treated him worse as the 15-month war intensified, kicking him, spitting on him and holding him without water or light.
The ceasefire appeared dangerously close to collapse in recent days.
Hamas had said it would delay the release of the hostages after accusing Israel of not adhering to their agreement by not allowing in enough shelters, medical supplies, fuel and heavy equipment for clearing rubble. Israel said it would resume fighting Saturday unless hostages were freed.
While the immediate crisis may have been averted, the truce faces a much bigger challenge with the deal’s first phase set to conclude in early March. There have not yet been substantive negotiations over the second phase, in which Hamas would release all remaining hostages in return for an end to the war.
At its height, the fighting displaced 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million. Hundreds of thousands have since returned to their homes as the ceasefire took hold, though many found only rubble, buried human remains and unexploded ordnance.
The war has killed over 48,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Trump’s proposal to remove some 2 million Palestinians from Gaza and settle them elsewhere in the region has thrown the truce’s future into further doubt.
The idea has been welcomed by Israel’s government. But it has been strongly rejected by Palestinians and Arab countries. Human rights groups say it could amount to a war crime under international law.
Trump has proposed that once the fighting ends, Israel would transfer control of Gaza to the United States, which would then redevelop it as the “Riviera of the Middle East.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right allies are already calling for a resumption of the war after the first phase with the goal of destroying Hamas and implementing Trump’s plan. The militant group remains in control of the territory after surviving one of the deadliest and most destructive military campaigns in recent history.
Hamas may be unwilling to release any more hostages if it believes the war will resume. The captives are among the only bargaining chips it has left.
Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip
Palestinians gather to attend Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation in Gaza City, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians gather to attend the Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation in Gaza City, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians perform Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation in Gaza City, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians gather to attend Friday prayers at the Great Omari Mosque, which was damaged during the Israeli military's air and ground operation in Gaza City, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Palestinians queue for food distribution in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians queue for food distribution in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians queue for food distribution in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians queue for food distribution in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
