PHILADELPHIA — Following a tough road trip, the Philadelphia 76ers returned home on Saturday to play host to the lowly Charlotte Hornets looking to get back in the win column. They have slid to the No. 8 seed in the East and they needed a win to move forward again.
The Hornets offered up the perfect “get right” opportunity. Philadelphia had won the previous three matchups over the Hornets and were looking to sweep the season series from them. The Sixers led for most of the night and eventually walked away with a 109-98 victory. Tyrese Maxey had 30 points and four assists to lead Philadelphia in this one.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 points, KJ Martin had six, Cam Payne had 10 and four assists, and Mo Bamba and Nic Batum combined for 16 rebounds. Buddy Hield was huge with 14 points, all after halftime, and Paul Reed added 11 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Lowry added five points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Here are the player grades following the win:
The scoring opportunities were limited for Lowry, but he played well in this one. He was getting into the paint, drawing defensive attention, and setting up teammates for baskets. When Lowry is on the floor and running things on the offensive end, the Sixers are in a much better position. He drilled a big triple in the third quarter when it looked as if the Hornets were going to take the lead and steal some momentum.
The Hornets don’t have many terrific on-ball defenders and Maxey took advantage of that early and often. He was constantly taking Charlotte’s guards off the dribble and getting into the paint which meant easy buckets for him and allowed others to get going on the offensive end. He was also getting the benefit of the whistle in this one as he got to the foul line and was efficient from there. He took a forearm to the face from Hornets rookie Brandon Miller who was called for a flagrant-2 and was ejected. While still receiving a ton of defensive attention, Maxey played very well in this one.
The night started well for Oubre. The former Hornet went to work early against his old squad as he did a good job of cutting and moving well off the ball. That allowed him to get some easy buckets and give him an opportunity to get into a rhythm early. He used his length well on the defensive end of the floor and was generally in the right spots on that end. He played well on both ends in this one.
This was a solid night for Batum. His role on a night such as this one is to just knock down some triples and play solid defense. He drilled and early 3-pointer due to his off-ball movement and his basketball IQ helped disrupt anything Charlotte wanted to do. He really bothered the Hornets in this one. He also did a good job attacking the glass.
In the early going in this one, Bamba used his size to be able to grab some easy rebounds and protect the rim whenever Charlotte got into the paint. On offense, he drilled a triple as the trailer on the break which is a good role for him on that end of the floor. All night long, Bamba did a solid job of defending the basket and he made the Hornets think twice about attacking the basket.
It was a tough start for Hield as he missed some open 3s early and then couldn’t finish at the basket. He was able to get going in the second half with two 3-pointers and that spaced the floor on the offensive end even more for Maxey. He made some huge plays in the second half on both ends to help the Sixers following the slow start. He was really a big difference-maker.
The initial stint for Reed included him knocking down a mid-range jumper as he continues to improve in that area of his game. Teams have to pay attention to him outside of the paint now and that’s another added aspect to the offense. The issue for him was rebounding. The Hornets were grabbing a lot of offensive boards and getting second-chance opportunities with him in the game. He had some nice moments in the second half, however as he was aggressive and gave the Sixers a nice boost.
Once again, Payne hopped off the bench and made some contributions. He had a bad turnover to start his night, but once he settled down, he made some nice passes to get his teammates some open looks and he drilled a triple. He continues to be a reliable source of offense off the bench since the trade for the Sixers.
The physical and athletic forward entered the contest and gave a big boost. He was tough on the defensive end of the floor, he was talking and getting guys in the right places, and he was helpful on the offensive end by getting to the line and knocking down a triple as well. The negative for him in this one was the foul trouble.