PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers have shown that they lose more often than not when Joel Embiid doesn't play.
But they didn't have the same problem Saturday night when Ben Simmons didn't play.
Simmons was sidelined for the first time this season with swelling his left elbow, and the Sixers won anyway, taking a 130-111 victory over Orlando Magic at Wells Fargo Center.
But it could be argued that the Sixers (11-7) might have still won even without Embiid, who was battling a cold.
The Magic (8-12) extended their losing streak to eight games with the setback. Meanwhile, this was the Sixers' third straight win and fifth in six games.
The Sixers won with a balanced attack with six double-digit scorers.
However, Simmons' replacement, T.J. McConnell, Embiid, and JJ Redick had the notable performances.
Redick finished with a game-high 29 points while matching a season high with eight 3-pointers on 12 attempts. Twelve of the shooting guard's points came in the second quarter. Embiid finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and five turnovers. It was the center's ninth double-double of the season.
Meanwhile, McConnell equaled his season high with 15 points and season-bests of 13 assists and seven rebounds to go with three steals. It was his first double-double since recording 10 points and 10 assists in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8 of last season.
Elfrid Payton paced the Magic with 22 points.
On this night, most of the focus was on how the Sixers would respond without Simmons, the overwhelming favorite to win rookie of the year. But McConnell's performance was far from shocking.
Lost in a lot of Simmons' success is that McConnell started 51 games last season.
One can make a strong argument that the third-year undrafted player _ not Embiid _ had a lot to do with the Sixers' impressive 10-5 record in January of last season. And no one can deny the success that McConnell had last season against the Magic.
Back on Feb. 9, his 9-foot floater with 5.8 seconds left and steal on the ensuing possession lifted the Sixers to a 112-111 victory in Orlando. McConnell averaged 12 points, nine assists and three steals in two starts against the Magic.
So his focus on Saturday was to do what he does well _ run a team _ and not try to emulate the freakishly athletic Simmons.
"I'm not trying to overcomplicate anything," McConnell said before the game. "I'm just going in there, playing hard, not changing my game, doing whatever this team needs to do. And like I always say, I'm just trying to help this team win."
That was evident from the start.
McConnell recorded assists on the Sixers' first three baskets _ two 3-pointers by Redick followed by one by Robert Covington.
Then he scored his first basket on a finger roll with 5 minutes, 25 seconds left after a layup by Jerryd Bayless.
McConnell followed that up by blocking D.J. Augustin's shot on the ensuing possession. Then he later added two more assists to finish with five in the first quarter.
He went on to finish with nine assists in the first half as the Sixers built a 70-55 advantage. The nine assists tied his previous season high, which he set against the Houston Rockets on Oct. 27.
