Feb 04, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young (21) lays injured on the court during the second quarter against the Orlando Magic at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The depleted Philadelphia 76ers received more bad news earlier today as their starting forward Thaddeus Young is out three weeks due to grade one strain of his left hamstring, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com.

Young, who averages 14.9  points and 7.4 rebounds per game was injured during the second quarter of a 78-61 home victory over the Orlando Magic.

Before Monday’s win, PhillyBurbs.com reported that head coach Doug Collins stated injured guard Jason Richardson was going to seek a third opinion on his sore left knee and could be out for a good period of time.

With Young and Richardson out the 76ers will be looking for Jrue Holiday to carry the load even more.

The Sixers  are currently three games back of the Celtics for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and play eight games in the next three weeks that include games against the Miami Heat and the New York Knicks.

Can Philadelphia fight off the injury bug to make the playoffs, or is the loss of Young too much to overcome for the 76ers?

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It was a tremendously uncomfortable showdown between the second and third best teams in the Eastern Conference, with neither able to put together a consistent quarter.

The deficit constantly yo-yoed with the Heat holding the narrow lead through the majority of the first three quarters.

LeBron James came out stone cold compared to his avalanche of points against Milwaukee two nights ago. He started 1/6 and finished with just 19 points, but added 12 rebounds and 8 assists.

Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 26, but he too was unable to find a rhythm throughout the game.

It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Miami started to click on the offensive end and completely shut down Philadelphia on the defensive end. With help from Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, the Heat went on a late surge to end up winning easily, but the scoreboard certainly flattered the team from South Beach.

The 76ers had 5 scorers in double figures, but none over 16 points. Andre Igoudala failed to make an offensive impact as he was smothered for the most of the game by LeBron James. Thaddeus Young was the 76ers most consistent player and he led the team with 16 points on 7/14 shooting.

The numbers left over from the game largely told the tale. Miami finished around 50% from the field, but that was only because of their late flurry. Philly shot under 40%. The Heat made just 55% of their 20 free throws, and had just 19 assists on 40 field goals.

The usually strong rebounding 76ers lost that battle by 9, largely due to their poor shooting. The most surprising aspect of the game was Philadelphia outscoring Miami on the fast break 18-10. They also beat Miami 40-36 in the paint.

This win can be largely put down to the outside shooting of Miller, Cole and Chalmers.