More Coverage: Game Action Gallery | Head Coach James Borrego Postgame | Miles Bridges Postgame
Playing without a pair of two injured starters and facing a huge early hole, the Charlotte Hornets performed valiantly against the Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night, which ended with a 118-111 home loss at Spectrum Center.
Gordon Hayward led the way for the purple and teal with a team-high 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting, six rebounds and a game-high-tying nine assists in the loss. This marked a new season high in dimes for Hayward, beating his previous best of seven which he notched in each of the first three outings of the campaign.
Charlotte shot just 5-of-22 (23%) in the first quarter, leading to a 30-13 deficit by the end of one. Philadelphia stretched the advantage to 22 by the break following a first half in which it shot 56% and held the hosts to just 3-of-17 from three (18%). The Hornets managed to get within single digits a handful of times over the final two frames and continued to fight all the way until the final buzzer sounded.
“Obviously, the first quarter cost us,” said Coach Borrego afterwards. “I thought we were okay the rest of the way. We dug ourselves too big a hole there – we had to play perfect just to catch up. Our guys kept battling. There’s a number of teams that would have given in right there. [Philadelphia] made some tough shots down the stretch, but that’s what happens when you put yourself in that position. They’re a heck-of-a-defense with their length and size. We did find a rhythm in the second half and I did see a lot of growth.”
LaMelo Ball finished with a team-high 22 points, seven rebounds and three assists in his second straight start filling in for Terry Rozier (right ankle sprain). Devonte’ Graham had 18 points and seven assists, Miles Bridges had 16 points and eight rebounds in place of injured starter PJ Washington (right foot sprain) and Malik Monk added another 13 points off the bench.
Joel Embiid cruised to his 13th double-double, racking up a game-high 34 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the Philadelphia victory. Tobias Harris (26 points), Danny Green (16), Ben Simmons (15 points and a game-high-tying nine assists) and Shake Milton (13) were also in double figures for a 76ers team that won its 14th consecutive meeting with the Hornets.
Charlotte outscored Philadelphia in both second-half points (69-54) and overall on the fast break (20-7), and then finished the evening shooting 45% and 14-of-37 from distance (38%). The 76ers connected on 52% of their field-goal attempts, although went a mere 10-of-25 from behind the arc (40%).
The Hornets will now play host to the visiting Utah Jazz on Friday, Feb. 5 starting at 8 PM EST at Spectrum Center. Catch the action on Fox Sports Southeast, Fox Sports GO app and WFNZ 610 AM or 102.5 FM.
The Link LonkFebruary 04, 2021 at 10:14AM
https://www.nba.com/hornets/short-handed-hornets-battle-hard-fought-loss-76ers
Short-Handed Hornets Battle in Hard-Fought Loss to 76ers | Charlotte Hornets - Brooklynnets.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=hard&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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