By: Kylan Watson

After a few days off the Philadelphia 76ers and Charlotte Hornets played each other for the last time during the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season. Thanks to a first quarter offensive explosion the Sixers were able to withstand a fourth quarter charge from Charlotte and beat them 108-98 as they win the front end of a weekend back-to-back.

Having most of thew week off benefitted the Sixers as they were able to get a couple of practices out of Joel Embiid and that allowed him to return to action in this contest. Having Embiid back opened the offense up for Philly and they were able to start hitting shots from beyond the arc. The Sixers made 12/33 of their three-point attempts in this contest and most of those opportunities were created by Embiid passing the ball to create a shot or screening a teammate open and they cashed in on the opportunity.

He also found his shooting touch throughout this game he scored 34 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had 9 assists. In addition, Embiid’s passing prowess has continued to be a substantial difference maker for Philly and has helped create hi9gh-percentage shooting opportunities for his teammates.

His passing ability helped Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. find their rhythm as well. Maxey was able to score 17 of his 23 points in the first half and was a three-point menace thanks to the floor being wide open for him with Embiid on the floor. Oubre Jr. just loves playing against the Hornets. He scored 22 points in this game and has found his three-point stroke, he made 4/6 of his three-point attempts in this contest. Oubre Jr. continuing to improve as a three-point shooter will allow him to stay on the floor and cash in on the wide-open shots that Embiid, Maxey, and Paul George create for their teammates.

Despite the scoring explosion from Embiid, Maxey, and Oubre Jr. Charlotte continued to fight throughout this game. They cut Philly’s 23-point lead to single digits by the fourth quarter. Vasilije Micic scored 20 points and was the leading scorer for the Hornets in this contest. He imposed his will throughout this contest and kept Charlotte in the game despite all the defensive attention he drew in this game.

The Sixers were able to put lengthier defenders on him and that forced him to pass the ball or take well contested shots which he did not make. That stifled the Hornets offense and gave Philly enough time to expand their lead and win this game.

Philly will now prepare to face the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night. Cleveland is the best team in the Eastern Conference, and this will be a huge test for Philly to see how they really stack up against a conference powerhouse. Joel Embiid will not play in tomorrow’s game so the Sixers will have to find someone else to share the scoring load with Maxey and George. Additionally, they will need to limit the Cavs to one possession on the offensive end and not allow them to get multiple opportunities to put points on the board. Philly will need to do what they did tonight and cash in on the high-percentage shooting opportunities created off their ball movement. That will be especially important against an aggressive Cavaliers defensive scheme, they will have to be patient and limit their turnovers to keep up with Cleveland in this game.

Implementing these things into their game plan should put the Sixers in a great position to win their 10^th game of the season and make a statement in the loaded Eastern Conference.