Third Quarter
The Sixers were able to breathe a bit as the second half opened with Embiid and Oubre each knocking down a three. A couple more midrange jumpers had the lead back up near 20 points. Embiid did not record a single rebound in the first half, despite being fairly aggressive on offense he was looking to avoid contact when he could.
Another small positive that’s come from KJ Martin earning more minutes is that it’s made Maxey a better lob thrower. Catching this pass and accurately getting it up to Martin here after just one dribble doesn’t feel like something he’s always been able to do.
The offense hit another lull, and again it was transition opportunities that helped them fight through it. A couple plays turned into fast breaks simply because Maxey decided he was going straight to the basket. Council almost had a second incredible dunk of the night but had to settle for a trip to the free throw line. The Sixers led by 14 after three.
Fourth Quarter
While Council did get that second dunk of the night to start the fourth, that was amidst a 12-4 Charlotte run that again saw the lead cut to single digits. George struggling from the field made it very tough for the second unit to score.
Council might have been upstaged though as the best dunk of the night may go to Yabusele for this poster over Daquan Jeffries. This happened during a stretch where Embiid returned and hit a few shots to buoy the lead as well. Somewhere, LeBron James is having Olympic flashbacks.
The game was iced with a steady dose of midrange jumpers from Embiid. He also looked like he wanted to throw down a big dunk when he had a wide open layup, but settled for a pump fake and a scoop layup when Nick Richards stepped up. This one probably shouldn’t have been this close with the Hornets resting their key guys after playing last night, but the Sixers are still not in a place to be picky about their wins.
The Sixers’ record this season vs. the Hornets: 4-0.
The Sixers’ record vs. the rest of the NBA: 5-16
Philadelphia knocked off Charlotte 108-98 Friday as Joel Embiid returned to the lineup after a one-game absence due to a sinus fracture. He hardly missed a beat as he led all scorers with 34 points on 12-of-24 shooting. He also finished with nine assists and two blocks in about 31 minutes of action.
Tyrese Maxey got off to a hot start, finishing with 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting and Kelly Oubre Jr. had 22 shooting 8-of-10. Paul George struggled though, with five points on 2-of-12 from the field.
On the second night of a back-to-back, the Hornets were without LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
It was a pretty hot start for the offense as Embiid was able to get on the board in the first this time. He missed his first two elbow jumpers but got a very open layup thanks to a drive from George. He bullied his way into an and-1 and knocked down a three as the Sixers opened the game 6-of-10 from the floor.
You know Embiid and Maxey are spamming the two-man game when Embiid throws the drop pass between his legs. Those actions had a lot of early success as Maxey had 15 in the first on four triples, two of those coming off of screens from Embiid.
The Sixers’ defense in the opening quarter wasn’t spectacular by any means — the Hornets shot a solid 47% from the field — but the Sixers were able to swipe five steals that helped them take five more field goals in the quarter. Ricky Council IV had an especially exciting dunk in transition as they cruised out to an 18-point lead.
Second Quarter
Another way the Sixers were earning extra possessions was grabbing offensive rebounds — they had seven in the first half. Council, KJ Martin, and Guerschon Yabusele are all good at consistently crashing the glass which is just not something the Sixers have gotten out of their forwards in recent history. Yabu had an acrobatic catch-and-putback as he scored the first four points for the Sixers in the second.
Those four points were the only points the Sixers scored for the first 6:18 of the second. Between missed shots and four turnovers, they had pretty much lost the rhythm from the previous quarter. Charlotte wasn’t lighting the world on fire, but they were able to work the lead down to single digits.
Kelly Oubre Jr. hit a couple baskets to stabilize things but the Sixers ended the second shooting 35% from the floor. They were still able to end it on a bit of a high note as Embiid got to the free throw line and Maxey got all the way to the basket to push the lead back up to 12 at the half.
Sixers center Joel Embiid dawned a face mask in his first game since suffering a sinus fracture.
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