76ers Rout Hornets

MVP frontrunner Joel Embiid had a double-double with a game-high 38 points and 13 rebounds in just 29 minutes of action, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Hornets 121-82 on Friday night for their seventh consecutive win.

Embiid scored 24 points in the first half before calling it an early night in a game the 76ers (47-22) led by as many as 42 points in the second half.

Embiid also had his fingerprints on the game in other ways, with five assists and four blocked shots and was serenaded in each half with chants of “MVP! MVP!” by the many 76ers fans in a sellout crowd of 19,096 at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.

“One of our goals was to come in from the start and set the tone and not play in the fourth quarter,” Embiid said. “I’m glad we did it. We came out aggressive, starting on defense (in the second half). We did a pretty good job in the first half, but we knew we had a little more left and we tried to correct the mistakes that we had made.”

James Harden had a triple-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the 76ers, which also got 18 points and five rebounds from Tobias Harris, 13 points from Tyrese Maxey and 12 points from Shake Milton.

“It was a professional win,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said. “They’re struggling a little bit and we just attacked. I liked how we played defensively, and I liked how we moved the ball.”

Terry Rozier scored 14 points, P.J. Washington had 12 points and six rebounds, and Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 11 points for the Hornets (22-50).

“They went 9-0 to start the third, and that was the biggest problem area,” Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “Again, (we were) impatient on offense, (we were) trying to challenge Embiid at the rim. Not good decision making in the paint, which has been a problem, and then they scored at the other end. I thought that was the key stretch.”

Embiid had an efficient night from the field before he checked out of the game for good late in the third quarter. The 7-foot, 280-pound center converted 16 of 21 field goals and made six of seven from the free throw line.

“I like what he’s doing,” Rivers said. “He’s scoring and tonight he had 38 points in under three quarters. But he’s also dominating the game on the other end and he’s making the right passes. He’s including his teammates. He’s not forcing anything. He’s doing everything out of the flow of the game and it’s happening naturally, organically. And, defensively, he’s been dominant.”

76ers: Jalen McDaniels, acquired in trade from the Hornets on February 9, which was the trade deadline, was not able to play in the city where he started his career. He missed his second straight game due to a right hip contusion.

Hornets: Rozier celebrated his 29th birthday. And, as a person born on St. Patrick’s Day, Rozier has a “3-17” tattoo on the back of his head.

The 76ers travel to Indiana to face Myles Turner and the Pacers on Saturday.
The Hornets host the Indiana Pacers and Tyrese Haliburton on Monday.