It ended with an open shooter - Rashard Lewis - hitting a three-pointer from the left corner with 4.8 seconds remaining.

But before it ended, the 76ers (7-8) looked like the team this city had expected, and Elton Brand the player Philadelphia had hoped for: One who finishes even when a defender holds down his arm, a power forward with a touch as soft as cotton, a guy who sets screens as impenetrable as a safe.

"The way we played is the way we need to play night in and night out," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

As the game clock ticked down and the score remained tight, the Sixers put the ball in Brand's hands. He responded with a pair of mid-range jumpers to keep the Magic at arm's length. Brand finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting.

But, eventually, Orlando (11-4) responded with a three-pointer and two free throws to take a one-point lead with 35.3 seconds on the clock.

Twenty seconds later, Sixers swingman Andre Iguodala toed the free-throw line, making both shots with 14 seconds remaining, giving the Sixers a 94-93 lead.

The Magic called a time-out. Then they found Lewis, too open, in the corner.

When Lewis' shot splashed through the net, the Sixers could not call a time-out. They had none remaining. They quickly found point guard Andre Miller, whose desperation heave just over half-court appeared rushed.

"The play was called 'X' " Cheeks explained. "I don't know if Andre thought there was less time on the clock."

But even though the night did not end the way the Sixers had hoped it would, they showed a resilience that was unlike any previous effort.

With 1 minute, 36 seconds remaining in the first half, Sixers reserve guard Lou Williams (13 points) hesitated with the Basketball and then exploded along the baseline, rising toward the rim, on a course to collide with the NBA's superman.

Dwight Howard (21 points) returned Williams, and the Basketball, to the hardwood. As Williams landed, the thud echoing, Wachovia Center fans sucked in their collective breath. But before they could exhale, Williams popped up from the court as if refusing to acknowledge the bigger, stronger Howard.

Williams was part of a second unit that aided the Sixers' effort. It included rookie Marreese Speights, who contributed 12 points.

"The lift those guys gave coming off the bench . . ." Cheeks said. "They gave us the lift that we needed."

And that is how these 76ers battled with the Magic: by absorbing every blow, by withstanding runs, and responding with their own.

The Magic led by 11 midway through the first quarter; the Sixers cut the lead to two early in the second. The Magic returned the lead to 10 by halftime, the Sixers tied the game midway through the third. Then the Sixers built a six-point lead, 82-76, only to watch it melt.

Cheeks summed it up best when he said, "It's unfortunate we didn't win this game."

Contact staff writer Kate Fagan

at 856-779-3844

or kfagan@phillynews.com.