3 observations after Sixers pull away late for win over Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers don’t care much about how pretty their wins are these days.
They pulled away late from the 17-51 Hornets on Saturday night at Wells Fargo Center, earning a 109-98 victory.
The shorthanded Sixers, who had lost five of their past six games, now sit at 37-30.
Tyrese Maxey led the team with 30 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22.
Hornets guard Tre Mann had 21 points.
The Sixers were down Joel Embiid (left knee meniscus procedure), Tobias Harris (right ankle sprain), De’Anthony Melton (lumbar spine bone stress) and Robert Covington (left knee bone bruise).
LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams and Seth Curry were among the key players out for Charlotte.
On the second day of his 10-day Sixers contract, Kai Jones remained with the Delaware Blue Coats. The 23-year-old big man had 14 points, eight rebounds, five assists and five steals Friday in the Blue Coats’ win over the Birmingham Squadron.
“I think that we just wanted to get him 10 days down there (in the G League), first and foremost,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame. “And then after those 10 days, we’ll re-evaluate and take it from there.”
The Sixers will play the Heat next on Monday night in Philadelphia. Here are observations on their win over the Hornets:
Sixers lean on Maxey and Oubre early
The Maxey-Oubre duo did the large majority of the Sixers’ early scoring. The pair posted 19 of the team’s first 22 points.
Oubre was especially good in transition and as a no-fear finisher, throwing down two slams in the first quarter.
Maxey seemed intent on attacking before Charlotte’s defense was set and able to blitz him. The Sixers were less effective when the Hornets swarmed Maxey in the half court. They struggled to move the ball smoothly, let possessions dwindle until the final seconds of the shot clock, and committed turnovers on three consecutive first-quarter trips. The NBA’s lowest-turnover team had 11 giveaways in the first half.
While the Sixers’ spacing, decision-making and overall half-court offense execution were far from elite…
..
