Sixers Embarrassed In Charlotte As Hornets Roll To 130-93 Blowout

The Sixers were never in this game, and by halftime in Charlotte, it already felt like a mercy rule situation. A lifeless afternoon showing by the 76ers turned into a 37-point embarrassment as Philadelphia unraveled early, collapsed completely after the break, and walked out of Charlotte with one of its worst losses of the season, 130-93.

The 76ers traveled to take on the Charlotte Hornets today, in a game that was moved up to 3 PM on the schedule, which is a bit outside of the norm, but with the winter storms that are ravaging much of the United States, the NBA wanted to get the slate of games started early today so that the games can get played with minimal impact to the communities. This game would be one that both Joel Embiid and Paul George would miss, which is the norm with back-to-back games this season for load management.

The first half was truly all Hornets, as the Sixers came in cold and never really got into a groove. Hornets rookies, first round pick Kon Knueppel and second rounder Ryan Kalkbrenner, drove the Hornets early while they were on the court, but the true stars of the first half were LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller who not just played solid offensively, but played well on the defensive side of the floor which was truly the difference in why the Hornets were in cruise control going into the half.

The second half started with Miller taking it to the Sixers, seemingly by himself. He came out on fire, with a 9-0 run all by himself. The body of language of the Sixers was defeated after this, and that allowed the Hornets to go up by as many as 50 at the end of the third. The thing that really frustrated Nick Nurse was how well the ball moved within the Hornets’ half of the court. Not only was Miller not missing anything, but the ball movement from Ball in particular was incredible. The Sixers were crashing down on Ball, and he was able to get the ball in the hands of Knueppel and Miller, who finished with thunder. The Sixers’ third quarters have been terrible by and large this season, but in this case, they had one of their worst of the season, being outscored 40-15. That was on the heels of getting outscored in the second quarter 41-22.

The fourth quarter started with the Sixers making a run to salvage some sort of pride in the game. The Sixers actually won the quarter 34-21, which helped to make the score a little more tolerable. They chipped away at that 50-point lead that the Hornets had going into the 4th, and mercifully, the game ended with the Hornets taking a 130-93 win today.

The Game Time Change Wreaked Havoc on the Sixers

The game time being moved up to 3 PM EST definitely did no favors to the Sixers, who seemed to never be in the zone at all in the game. Typically, the Sixers start games well, but today they were truly out of sync from the beginning. It was obvious from the first few minutes that the Sixers were missing something, and that was more than just energy; it was most importantly that the Sixers were turning the ball over early, and they didn’t have an answer early. The Hornets’ execution on the small things really set them apart, and that starts with their passing.

The Sixers’ passing was some of the worst of the season so far. One of the things that sets the 76ers apart is how well their passes connect. When they are right, the passing hits the mark, and by the time the ball gets to the shooter, they are often catching it at their chest, allowing them to get the shots off faster and cleaner. Today, the passing was off, making the Sixers reach for the ball and taking them out of advantageous shooting postures. With how the Sixers’ offense is built, especially when George and Embiid aren’t playing, getting the threes to fall sets up everything. So when that is off, the Sixers are a flatter and more one-dimensional offense, and easier to stop, as they were today.

A Clunker From the Start

Whether it was the lack of veteran leaders on the floor or the time change, one thing was certain: the Sixers were never in this game. It felt like they were not in the game mentally, and the sloppy play was indicative of this. Games like today’s will happen in an NBA season, but the 76ers can’t afford to have too many of these because the Eastern Conference is so tight this season that losses like today’s can possibly be the difference in seeding or even making the playoffs at all.

The most important part of today’s game is for Nurse to address the issues, take the lesson, and flush the rest. None of the Sixers starters played well today, and every starter was in double digits in the negative on the +/- for the game, with Kelly Oubre Jr. a horrible -40. This was in large part due to the bad defense played by the Sixers today, but also the Sixers’ backcourt, who have played so well this season, and picked each other up so well. Tyrese Maxey had his worst output of the season with 6 points, and VJ Edgecombe had 9 points in this game, where the only starter in double digits in points was Oubre Jr. with 17 points.

Looking For Positives In This Loss

There weren’t too many positives in this game for the Sixers, but if I were to look for one, it would probably be how well Jared McCain, who hasstruggled in his sophomore season, played late in the game. This is something that can carry over into other into tomorrow’s game back in Philly against the Milwaukee Bucks. McCain shot the ball well, closing out the game, particularly in the 4th, where his 3-point stroke came alive and he ended the game shooting 50% from distance.

The only other real positive was that Quentin Grimes tipped in 14 with 5 assists. This was how thin the Sixers’ highlights were in this game. Oubre Jr. had 17 to lead the Sixers on his former home court, but past that, there was nothing to get excited about in this game. It was a very difficult game for everyone on the Sixers bench, and I’m sure that the locker room was quiet after that performance. It was the first time since November 2022 that the Hornets have beaten the Sixers, and in such a decisive way, as well.

Just when you want to start to think that the Sixers are close to turning the corner, they get blown out by 37 in Charlotte. Maybe it was only the time change and being on the road, but the Sixers were colder than the weather that caused the game to be moved up today. Tomorrow, we can only hope that Embiid and George can help the Sixers take out the frustration of this game on the Milwaukee Bucks, who will be playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo tomorrow night in South Philly.

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