Consecutive wins for the first time this season; 76ers fend off Hornets 110-104

For the first time this season, the 76ers have won the game after a game they had won–2 straight!

They go 2 for 2 on this short road trip at Detroit and at Charlotte, winning tonight’s game against Charlotte 110-104. This win also marks their second of the NBA Cup, and this is important as there are still 5 spots left for the knockout round, but it all depends on the outcome of the Knicks and Magic game. This game was all Sixers until late when the Hornets stormed back. Here is the breakdown. 

Hornets Surge Late off of Brandon Miller’s Career Night

Brandon Miller was piling on tough shot after tough shot all night but especially exploded in the 2nd half. Miller put up 34 points on 7-16 from three. He led the comeback for the Hornets that started late in the third quarter, at this point the Sixers were up by as much as 15. The Hornets did not cut that deficit all at once however, it was a steady chipping away of 4 point-5 point runs starting at the end of the third quarter. They clawed back in the 4th quarter and eventually took a 100-99 point lead with 1:40 left in the game. This would make their first lead since it was 5-4 in their favor with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. Miller scored 12 points, all from beyond the arc, in that final quarter. Nick Richards was also a big factor in their comeback, putting up a total of 22 points, 14 rebounds, and getting to the line 13 times, and converting 10. He had 7 points and 5 rebounds in the 4th quarter. Overall the Hornets outscored the 76ers 35-30 in the final quarter, but it was not enough and the Sixers escaped with a win.

A Complete PG8 Game, Maxey’s Slow Start, and McCain’s Continued Success

Paul George certainly played his best game as 76er up until this point tonight, posting 29 points on 6 of 9 from three, 10 of 16 from the field, and 8 assists to boot. This point total matches his highest as a Sixer, complimenting the NBA Cup game against New York. These two games are kind of similar, although he was more efficient tonight and he helped get the win despite Tyrese Maxey’s poor play. Maxey scored just 21 points on 5 of 16 from the field and 1 made three on 7 attempts. Maxey scored just 3 points in the first half and had just one made field goal. Despite this, he was able to turn a nothing game around and have a meaningful impact. Maxey was instrumental in securing the win late for the Sixers as he knocked down 6 clutch-time free throws. Now onto the rookie, there’s not much left to say about Jared McCain. 17 points, 7 of 10 from the field, 3 of 4 from three in 22 minutes. The clear ROY favorite, after attaining a starting spot a handful of games ago, Nick Nurse has started to bring him off the bench again. There are two sides to this coin, I think it’s the right decision. Yes, getting him as many minutes as possible early, especially while this team’s rotation is on its head might be a good idea. But, I think it’s important to start defining roles right now. McCain, for at least this year, is a good bench/sparkplug player. Now if the Sixers end up pulling the plug on the season by Christmas, then starting him is the play, but for now, he should be coming off the bench. 

Looking Ahead and It’s Confusing

The Sixers are now 5-14, and seem to be getting some momentum, but should we still entertain the idea of the playoffs or contending this year? They host the Magic tomorrow, the first of two straight games against them, home and home, and Nurse said in the post-game to “not expect,” Joel Embiid to play. As it stands, the Sixers are the second-worst team in the East and have the 4th worst record overall. They have a 4-game stretch coming up that is decent: Orlando, Orlando, at Chicago, Charlotte. After that, they face the Cavs, and Spurs, then go on a 6-game roadie that starts on Christmas in Boston and ends in Brooklyn. Just a rough calculation and estimate, They split the 4 games in the ORL-CHA stretch, making their record 7-16. They lost both games to the Cavs and Spurs, now 7-18. At very best they go 2-4 on the 6-game roadie, and their record is now 9-22. That is very generous of an estimate, they could very well go 0-6 or 1-5 on that roadie, and the Orland-Charlotte stretch, I was thinking they split the Magic games and beat the Hornets again. So their record is 9-22 on January 4th, to sneak into the playoffs Basketball Reference (which gives the Sixers a 90% chance to miss the playoffs) estimates that they need 36 wins. So with 51 games remaining at that point, they need to go 27-24 to sneak in. Sounds doable, but I am reluctant to say whether or not they can do it, they still need to see more consistency which we will probably never get. The Sixers still have the sixth shortest odds to win the East at +1700, which is truly a headscratcher. 

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Nate Tramdaks

Nate is a Sophomore at La Salle studying finance. He closely follows the 76ers, has co-hosted his own 76ers podcast in the past, and has been writing for Syracuse University Sports.

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