Joel Embiid scores 33 points, 76ers beat Hornets 97-89 for 5th straight victory
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Joel Embiid had 33 points to extend his franchise-record run of 30 or more to 20 games and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Hornets 97-89 on Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.
The reigning NBA MVP Embiid also had 10 rebounds. He was 11 of 23 from the field and made 11 of 12 free throws.
Tobias Harris added 21 points and Tyrese Maxey had 16 points and eight assists to help Philadelphia improve to 28-13. The 76ers - coming off a victory Friday night at Orlando - trailed by four entering the fourth quarter, then held the Hornets to 16 points in the final period.
Miles Bridges had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Charlotte. No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller added 23. The Hornets are 9-31.
Embiid proved to be too much for a Charlotte team playing without top centers in Mark Williams and Nick Richards. Charlotte was forced to defend Embiid with P.J. Washington, who fouled out, and Nathan Mensah, creating a big size mismatch for the 76ers’ 7-foot, 280-pound center.
“We knew they were down guys and had a smaller team tonight, so we had to exploit those type of mismatches out there,” Harris said.
The Hornets were forced to double team Embiid most of the game.
“We just had to make the right play,” Harris said. “It was a pretty simple game plan for us. I thought in the fourth quarter we did a great job of executing it.”
Charlotte coach Steve Clifford felt the Hornets did a decent job on Embiid, considering he scored 42 points against them Dec. 16 and the team was without its own two 7-footers.
“I mean, he’s a brutal guy to defend," Clifford said. "We did a lot better than we did last time.”
The Hornets played without LaMelo Ball, who sat out because of soreness in his right ankle after helping the Hornets beat San Antonio on Friday night. Terry Rozier had 19 points and nine assists at the point guard spot for Charlotte.
The Hornets led 73-69 after the third quarter, but the 76ers went on a 13-2 run to open the fourth with Embiid on the bench. Harris and Danuel House combined for 11 points during the stretch.
Embiid checked back into the game with 6:52 left with the 76ers up by four and they outscored the Hornets 15-9 the rest of the way. Embiid's fallaway jumper with 2:42 remaining put the 76ers up by 10 and they were never seriously threatened again.
The 76ers are in the midst of a stretch that includes seven of eight games on the road. So far, they're 2-0.
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse was pleased with his team's defense in the fourth quarter, limiting the Hornets to 5-of-16 shooting from the field.
“You could notice the difference in our energy level in that last quarter,” Nurse said. "I thought Tobias (Harris) really sparked us there as well, finally somebody was scoring and we got some transition buckets. I was happy with our loose ball recovery tonight, we started knocking a few guys diving on the floor picking them up, so it was not a thing of beauty but it was hard fought and the result is what we’re after.”
UP NEXT
76ers: Host San Antonio on Monday night.
Hornets: At Minnesota on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Joel Embiid vs. P.J. Washington (Tyrese Maxey gains possession) | ||
| 11:39 |  | Joel Embiid misses two point jump shot | ||
| 11:36 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 11:23 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:23 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 11:00 | | Tyrese Maxey misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:58 | | Nicolas Batum offensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | Nicolas Batum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:53 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 10:45 | | P.J. Washington misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:42 | | Brandon Miller offensive rebound | ||
| 10:41 | | Joel Embiid blocks Miles Bridges's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:39 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 10:36 | | Miles Bridges misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:33 | | Nicolas Batum defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point layup (Nicolas Batum assists) | 2-0 |
| 10:13 | | Terry Rozier turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:05 | | +3 | Tobias Harris makes three point jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 5-0 |
| 9:51 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point driving reverse layup | 5-2 |
| 9:35 | | Tyrese Maxey misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point driving layup (Miles Bridges assists) | 5-4 |
| 9:02 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point hook shot | 7-4 |
| 9:02 | | P.J. Washington shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 9:02 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 8-4 |
| 8:49 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point driving reverse layup (Miles Bridges assists) | 8-6 |
| 8:41 | | Brandon Miller blocks Tyrese Maxey's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:40 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | Joel Embiid blocks P.J. Washington's two point running dunk | ||
| 8:31 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Joel Embiid misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:18 | | Terry Rozier defensive rebound | ||
| 8:14 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point running layup | 8-8 |
| 8:02 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving layup (Tobias Harris assists) | 10-8 |
| 7:45 | | Miles Bridges misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:42 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 7:35 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:33 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 7:27 | | +2 | Terry Rozier makes two point cutting layup (Cody Martin assists) | 10-10 |
| 7:01 | | Cody Martin blocks Joel Embiid's two point driving layup | ||
| 7:01 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:48 | | Miles Bridges misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:44 | | Tobias Harris defensive rebound | ||
| 6:29 | | +2 | Nicolas Batum makes two point cutting layup (Tobias Harris assists) | 12-10 |
| 6:17 | | Terry Rozier misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 6:17 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 6:13 | | Tobias Harris turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 5:53 | | Miles Bridges misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 5:52 | | Tobias Harris defensive rebound | ||
| 5:38 | | Tobias Harris turnover (lost ball) (Cody Martin steals) | ||
| 5:35 | | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point running dunk (Ish Smith assists) | 12-12 |
| 5:15 | | P.J. Washington shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 5:15 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-12 |
| 5:15 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 14-12 |
| 4:57 | | Cody Martin misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:56 | | Furkan Korkmaz defensive rebound | ||
| 4:38 | | Cody Martin shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 4:38 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-12 |
| 4:38 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-12 |
| 4:18 | | +3 | Brandon Miller makes three point jump shot (Miles Bridges assists) | 16-15 |
| 3:55 | | +2 | Furkan Korkmaz makes two point driving layup (Joel Embiid assists) | 18-15 |
| 3:35 | | Miles Bridges misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:33 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | Joel Embiid turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:11 | | +2 | Ish Smith makes two point pullup jump shot (Nathan Mensah assists) | 18-17 |
| 2:45 | | Joel Embiid misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:43 | | Miles Bridges defensive rebound | ||
| 2:34 | | Joel Embiid technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 2:34 | | 76ers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:34 | | +1 | Miles Bridges makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 18-18 |
| 2:20 | | Miles Bridges misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 2:18 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 2:15 | | Nathan Mensah shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 2:15 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 19-18 |
| 2:15 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-18 |
| 1:53 | | +3 | Miles Bridges makes three point jump shot (Nathan Mensah assists) | 20-21 |
| 1:32 | | Marcus Morris Sr. misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 1:30 | | JT Thor defensive rebound | ||
| 1:21 | | +2 | JT Thor makes two point driving layup (Terry Rozier assists) | 20-23 |
| 1:02 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point driving layup | 22-23 |
| 0:46 | | Tyrese Maxey shooting foul (Terry Rozier draws the foul) | ||
| 0:46 | | Terry Rozier misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | ||
| 0:46 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:46 | | Terry Rozier misses regular free throw 2 of 3 | ||
| 0:46 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:46 | | +1 | Terry Rozier makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 22-24 |
| 0:31 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving layup | 24-24 |
| 0:21 | | Miles Bridges misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:19 | | Furkan Korkmaz defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Joel Embiid misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | 76ers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:44 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:41 | | JT Thor offensive rebound | ||
| 11:39 | | Terry Rozier misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:35 | | Tobias Harris defensive rebound | ||
| 11:27 | | JT Thor shooting foul (Tobias Harris draws the foul) | ||
| 11:27 | | +1 | Tobias Harris makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-24 |
| 11:27 | | +1 | Tobias Harris makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-24 |
| 11:03 | | P.J. Washington misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:02 | | Paul Reed defensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | Tyrese Maxey misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 10:47 | | Paul Reed offensive rebound | ||
| 10:46 | | +2 | Paul Reed makes two point tip layup | 28-24 |
| 10:20 | | Terry Rozier misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:18 | | Danuel House Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:10 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving layup | 30-24 |
| 10:10 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:46 | | Nick Smith Jr. misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 9:43 | | Tyrese Maxey defensive rebound | ||
| 9:33 | | Tyrese Maxey misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 9:31 | | JT Thor defensive rebound | ||
| 9:20 | | JT Thor misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:18 | | Paul Reed defensive rebound | ||
| 9:06 | | Paul Reed misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:04 | | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | ||
| 8:58 | | Nick Smith Jr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:54 | | JT Thor offensive rebound | ||
| 8:52 | | +2 | JT Thor makes two point alley-oop dunk (Brandon Miller assists) | 30-26 |
| 8:31 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving layup | 32-26 |
| 8:31 | | JT Thor defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 8:09 | | Brandon Miller misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 8:07 | | Paul Reed defensive rebound | ||
| 8:00 | | Marcus Morris Sr. misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:57 | | Brandon Miller defensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point driving layup (Brandon Miller assists) | 32-28 |
| 7:34 | | Brandon Miller shooting foul (Tobias Harris draws the foul) | ||
| 7:34 | | Tobias Harris misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 7:34 | | 76ers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:34 | | +1 | Tobias Harris makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-28 |
| 7:11 | | Cody Martin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:09 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 7:09 | | Hornets turnover (shot clock violation) | ||
| 6:54 | | +2 | Tyrese Maxey makes two point driving layup (Tobias Harris assists) | 35-28 |
| 6:46 | | +3 | P.J. Washington makes three point jump shot (Ish Smith assists) | 35-31 |
| 6:29 | | +3 | Tyrese Maxey makes three point jump shot (Tobias Harris assists) | 38-31 |
| 6:18 | | +2 | Cody Martin makes two point driving reverse layup (Ish Smith assists) | 38-33 |
| 6:13 | | P.J. Washington shooting foul (Tyrese Maxey draws the foul) | ||
| 6:13 | | Tyrese Maxey misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 6:13 | | 76ers offensive rebound | ||
| 6:13 | | +1 | Tyrese Maxey makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 39-33 |
| 5:57 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point jump shot | 39-35 |
| 5:44 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point pullup jump shot (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 41-35 |
| 5:26 | | Ish Smith turnover (bad pass) (Tyrese Maxey steals) | ||
| 5:24 | | +2 | Danuel House Jr. makes two point running dunk (Tyrese Maxey assists) | 43-35 |
| 5:24 | | Cody Martin shooting foul (Danuel House Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 5:24 | | Danuel House Jr. misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 5:22 | | Cody Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 5:22 | | Kelly Oubre Jr. personal foul (Cody Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 5:07 | | Nick Smith Jr. turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 4:58 | | +2 | Joel Embiid makes two point pullup jump shot | 45-35 |
| 4:58 | | Nathan Mensah shooting foul (Joel Embiid draws the foul) | ||
| 4:58 | | +1 | Joel Embiid makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 46-35 |
| 4:46 | | Terry Rozier misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:43 | | Joel Embiid defensive rebound | ||
| 4:23 | | Danuel House Jr. misses two point jump shot | ||
| 4:21 | | Nathan Mensah defensive rebound | ||
| 4:15 | | +2 | Miles Bridges makes two point driving layup (Terry Rozier assists) | 46-37 |
| 4:15 | | Danuel House Jr. shooting foul (Miles Bridges draws the foul) | ||
| 4:15 | | +1 | Miles Bridges makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 46-38 |
| 4:02 | |