No magic by Sixers in Orlando

ORLANDO - Nobody figured last night would be easy for the 76ers, trying to break in a neophyte point guard after one practice. Nor did it get any easier upon learning Luc Mbah a Moute was in a race to get to Florida in time for tipoff.

Mbah a Moute never made it. And Isaiah Canaan struggled at times with both his fitness and his playmaking.

Despite those issues, the Sixers found enough firepower to come back from a 12-point deficit and push the surging Orlando Magic to the final minute. Even with the 103-98 loss, the battle left an upbeat vibe at evening's end.

"No matter what team you roll out there, that's been a characteristic of the team," coach Brent Brown said.

"I'm proud of the fight. The group will fight. If we don't have that, we don't have much. It's just trying to keep the group together and grow the group."

The Sixers trailed 96-95 after JaKarr Sampson's slashing layup with 1:37 left, but never could grab the lead. Three Orlando free throws pushed the lead to four with 65 seconds left, Tim Frazier was called for an offensive foul and Nik Vucevic's dunk was enough to give the Magic their third straight victory.

"Give Philly credit; they made shots tonight," said Magic interim coach James Borrego. "We're learning in close-game situations. I was proud of the way we responded, the poise we had and the way we closed out."

The 76ers (12-43) are simply learning. Again. Last night brought the unveiling of Canaan at point guard, 2 days after arriving from Houston in the trade that sent K.J. McDaniels to the Rockets.

Better known for his scoring prowess, Canaan played to mixed reviews. His energy, penetration and shooting ability was good enough for 14 points. But he dished out only three assists - balanced by an equal number of turnovers.

Frazier, the backup, had six assists by comparison. Moreover, Canaan sat out a key stretch of the fourth quarter with cramps after a collision with Orlando rookie Elfrid Payton.

"I criticize myself the hardest, so of course I think I could have done better," Canaan said. "But it's my first game. I try not to make excuses on the court. I just want to do whatever I can to help the team."

Canaan, to be fair, was given just a few offensive plays after a get-to-know-you practice just before boarding a flight to Orlando.

"To come in and just be the point guard in an NBA game at the end of February is hard to do," Brown said. "I thought on first performance, he was way above average. I can see the upside to him in what he can bring once he knows me, knows the system and gets in better shape."

The Sixers also had to deal with the absence of Mbah a Moute, who stayed behind in Philadelphia on a personal matter and found himself stuck in an air-travel snarl. He didn't land in Orlando until after tipoff.

Robert Covington led the 76ers with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Sampson scored 14 of his 16 points in the final quarter.

Vucevic led the Magic (19-39) with 31 points and 14 rebounds, as the Magic went off for 50 points in the paint.

"He uses his size well," said the Sixers' Nerlens Noel. "When he gets going, he has a soft touch and so you know you've definitely got to stick to [defensive] principles on him."

The Sixers announced just before tipoff the signing of point guard Ish Smith, waived by New Orleans just hours after acquiring him from Oklahoma City in one of Thursday's lesser trade-deadline moves.

Smith averaged just 5.2 minutes in 30 appearances with the Thunder, producing averages of 1.2 points and 0.9 assists. He offers another option, though, as the Sixers sort out the point guard situation following the departure of Michael Carter-Williams.

Smith has 221 career NBA games to his name, averaging 2.7 points and 1.9 assists.

To make room for Smith, the Sixers waived forward Malcolm Thomas for the second time this season. Philadelphia was his seventh NBA stop . . . Jerami Grant was held out of the second half after sustaining a low-back contusion in the second quarter, the result of Dewayne Dedmon's hard foul on a dunk attempt.