The Philadelphia 76ers needed to enter the Spectrum Center on Friday with the right mindset as they took on the Charlotte Hornets. The Sixers were coming off an impressive and emotional win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday and they could have easily dropped this one on Friday.
Instead, the Sixers locked in and walked away with a rather easy 121-82 win over the Hornets. They led by as many as 42 and they were able to rest their starters in the fourth quarter as they prepare for the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
“It just shows that we are focused, and we are showing up and playing,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “Every game is an individual game. The Cleveland game, we couldn’t get it going, it is just one of those games we just have to find a way to win. Tonight, we played great. There is no guarantee how you are going to play, but there is a guarantee how you can show up, and we are showing up every night.”
The Sixers were terrific on the defensive end. While Joel Embiid was once again dominant as he scored 38 points on 16-for-21 shooting and Tobias Harris added 18 points while James Harden had a triple-double, Philadelphia’s defense was terrific. They held the Hornets to just 33.7% shooting and held them to 5-for-35 shooting from deep.
“Home or road, it doesn’t matter,” said Embiid. “I think it’s still the same mindset. We got to win every game. We know what it takes offensively and defensively, everybody doing their job. I think tonight we did it as a team, everybody contributed.”
The Sixers needed this win. While it wouldn’t have been the biggest deal in the world if they did lose when considering the circumstances and the tough schedule, this is a win they needed in order to keep themselves going in the right direction.
“We are supposed to enjoy ourselves out there,” added Harris. “Any time we have a lead like that, guys are contributing, those are great for us. To have those type of wins where everyone feels good and whatnot, we also know that we have got to be able to do those things tomorrow as well. Those are important games, any time we got guys who are involved, things are flowing and in a good mood, that helps us too.”
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