Hornets Lose to 76ers in Second Straight Game

For the second time in three nights, the Charlotte Hornets lost a close game to the Philadelphia 76ers, 110-106 on Wednesday. Philadelphia has won sixteen straight games vs. Charlotte.

The game was played relatively even throughout the first quarter, with neither team leading by more than four points. Gordon Hayward was aggressive to start the game with 10 early points. Kelly Oubre Jr. could not continue his hot hand from Monday’s game, but he continued to attempt shots. 76ers guard Shake Milton tried for a half court buzzer beater, but the ball was still on his fingertips as the horn sounded. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 26.

The Hornets started out the second quarter cold from the field, as the 76ers started to pull away, but the Hornets were able to get some stops and turn that into offense for themselves. They went on a 14-0 run, as they held the 76ers without a field goal for more than four minutes. The Hornets took a two point lead into halftime, 53-51.

Charlotte came out flat to begin the second half. Sixers’ big man Joel Embiid attempted ten free throws in the quarter. The Hornets trailed by as many as nine, but they rallied to slice the lead to one. Hayward matched Embiid’s production with 14 points in the third quarter. He led the run that kept the Hornets in shouting distance. At the end of the quarter, the Hornets trailed 82-81.

The Hornets regained the lead in the early going of the fourth quarter. Miles Bridges made an athletic layup over Andre Drummond, followed by a Bridges’ pass to Cody Martin for three. A few possessions later, P.J. Washington banked home a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:25 left, to give the Hornets a 98-97 lead.

After that, things went downhill for the Hornets quickly as Danny Green and Embiid answered with 3’s. Embiid drove down the lane and dunked the ball to take a seven point lead, with just under two minutes remaining.

The Hornets fought though. Washington hit a 3-pointer to pull within five, then Cody Martin stole the ball from Tyrese Maxey, which led to an Oubre runout and dunk. That made it a one possession game with 30 seconds left. Bridges got called for a questionable foul and the free throws made by Tobias Harris put the game away.

The Hornets got the lion’s share of their scoring from three players, Hayward, Bridges and Oubre, with them combining to score 83 of the Hornets 106 points. For the second straight game, coach James Borrego only played eight guys while working with a limited bench due to protocols.

“I probably played them too many minutes,” Borrego said. “I have to watch that and make sure I don’t overrun them.”

Gordon Hayward had a season high 31 points, had 7 assists and 5 rebounds for the Hornets. Kelly Oubre Jr. had a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds, but finished the game 3 of 12 from downtown. Miles Bridges scored 20 point, with 5 dimes and 5 rebounds.

Joel Embiid scored 32 points, had 8 rebounds and 4 assists for the 76ers. Seth Curry contributed 23 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. Tobias Harris scored 18 points and had 6 boards.

“It’s tough to beat the same team twice no matter what the situation is,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “We did that. I thought we just hung in there. I thought there were times where we could’ve pulled away and there was a turnover or a missed defensive assignment here or there. But I will take the win.”

The Philadelphia 76ers host the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The Charlotte Hornets, who have dropped five of their last six games, welcome the Sacramento Kings on Friday.