Sixer squash Hornets like a bug.
Joel Embiid scored a game-high 42 points and cleaned the glass with 15 rebounds, and the high octane Philadelphia 76ers handed the injury-riddled Charlotte Hornets their worst loss in franchise history, 135-82 on Saturday night.
Tyrese Maxey added 21 points for the 76ers (18-7), who shot out quickly when Embiid outscored the Hornets by himself in the opening quarter, built a 29-point halftime lead and were never threatened.
The 53-point drubbing topped the Hornets’ previous largest loss, a 137-87 defeat to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 10, 2000.
“I mean the overall story of the game would be more guys who didn’t play, than the guys that did,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.
The Hornets played without three starters in LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward and Mark Williams, two key bench players in P.J. Washington and Cody Martin, and then lost top scorer Terry Rozier in the third quarter when he caught an inadvertent elbow to the nose.
Rozier, who averaged more than 28 points over the previous seven outings, was never ruled out, but did not return to the game. The injury is not believed to be serious and he did not require stitches.
Embiid set the tone early with 18 points and nine boards in the first quarter as the 76ers built a 33-17 lead in route to their sixth straight victory.
A passionate Embiid scored at will on uncontested mid-range jumpers against Nick Richards, who gave up 10 easy points before heading to the bench with his second foul five minutes into the game.
Embiid said he was frustrated at the beginning of the game because of a foul call that did not go his way. He used that as fuel and motivation the rest of the game.
“I was going to be aggressive anyway, but the fact that I didn’t get (the call), I felt that I had to go harder and be more aggressive,” Embiid said.
Maxey knocked down five triples in the second quarter and Embiid had a double-double, 25 points and 10 rebounds at the break as the 76ers extended their lead to 29, 73-44.
Embed from Getty ImagesEmbiid finally exited the game to chants of “MVP! MVP!” with 19.8 seconds left in the third quarter with the 76ers leading by 41. Embiid, who was a sharp shooting 18 of 23 from the field, did not play in the fourth.
“When he just brings the ball up the court and plays 1-on-1, there’s really not much you can do,” Clifford said. “He does it out of the flow. Centers are having to do something they normally don’t have to do (on defense). I feel like the only guy like that at all would be (Nikola) Jokic.”
Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he likes how Embiid is shooting the ball.
“I just think he’s just really feeling confident about it,” Nurse said. “Obviously, I love the rhythm he is taking it in. It hits his hands, it’s going up.”
Brandon Miller led the Hornets (7-17) with 14 points despite having an off shooting night, 4 of 16 from the floor.
The Hornets are well on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, and the road ahead is only going to get tougher.
Over the next eight games, Charlotte will face the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets twice, as well as the Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings.
“We have to get our guys back,” Clifford said. “This is a brutal stretch, the next two weeks. There are no easy weeks in this league, but if you look at the upcoming schedule it’s going to be hard. And we’re not sure when those guys will come back.”
The 76ers, who are tied for second place in the East with the Milwaukee Bucks, have a much easier schedule over the remainder of the calendar year and a chance to move up in the standings.
76ers: Host Patrick Williams and the Chicago Bulls on Monday night.
Hornets: Travel north of the boarder to Toronto to face Scottie Barnes and the Raptors on Monday night.
