What: Charlotte Hornets (15-44) (7-22 away) at Philadelphia 76ers (33-25) (18-13 away)
When: 7:00 PM EST
Where: Wells Fargo Center; Philadelphia, Pa.
How to watch: Bally Sports Southeast, NBA League Pass
Outfitting: Hornets–Association (white), 76ers–Statement (red)
Game Lines: Hornets +11.5, O/U 212.5
Injuries:
Hornets: LaMelo Ball-out (ankle), Mark Williams-out (back)
76ers: Robert Covington-out (knee), Joel Embiid-out (knee), KJ Martin-probable (ankle), De’Anthony Melton-out (back)
Coming off a pair of double digit losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Charlotte Hornets have a chance to put them in the rearview as they begin a quick two-game road swing against the Philadelphia 76ers.
For the first time in what seems like years, the Hornets are actually catching the Sixers in a bad spot. The Sixers have dropped four out of five, Embiid remains out with a meniscus injury, reliable role-players in Covington and Melton are sidelined, and Tobias Harris is amid one of the worst seasons/stretches of play of his career. It’s really The Tyrese Maxey Show up in Philly these days. Charlotte has beaten Philly twice since the 2018-19 season began. Tonight could be an opportunity to kick them while they’re down.
On the positive side for the Sixers, trade deadline acquisition Buddy Hield has played well since joining the team and rookie wing Ricky Council IV has made some nice flashes in recent games. They hung tough with the league-best Celtics on Monday, cutting the deficit to as few as two points in the fourth quarter before Boston ran away with it. Maxey had 32 points and five assists in what ended up as an 18-point loss.
Charlotte’s post-deadline momentum seems to have taken a downturn in recent days, but to their credit, team defense remains a strong-suit despite the rough losses to Milwaukee. The Hornets are fourth in defensive rating in the last eight games, and perhaps most of all, it passes the eye test — the connectivity, engagement and feel for the game on the defensive end have all ticked up a notch since the new guys arrived in town.
On the other hand, the offense has been… not good. Realistically, the current Hornets roster is doomed offensively when LaMelo Ball sits anyways, but in the last four games, Charlotte’s offensive rating is a paltry 93.3 — ninety three point three points per 100 possessions, in the NBA, in the year of 2024, is hard to accomplish. The Hornets haven’t been able to play with pace (25th in pace over the same stretch) or take care of the ball, and shooting efficiency has been a struggle all season long.
Quality defense gives NBA teams a chance to win on any given night in the regular season. Quality offense affords a team the luxury of imposing its tempo and style on the opponent. The new-look Hornets have yet to find the recipe to a successful offense. Here’s to hoping an Embiid-less Sixers squad with little in the way of size or physicality on the interior fixes that.
