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Recap/Analysis: Hornets let go of the rope in second half, fall to 76ers – At The Hive
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Six players finished in double-figure scoring and the team shot well over 40% from 3-point range but the Charlotte Hornets were outscored 63-51 in the second half, resulting in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 121-114.
Miles Bridges put up 27 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double in six games. Nick Richards shot 8-9 and scored 19 points and Davis Bertans finished with 14 points, his high in a Hornets uniform. Vasilije Micic and Grant Williams each scored 13 points and Cody Martin had 12 points.
Of course, since I mentioned Harris’ stinker of a season in the game preview, he gave the Hornets an ultra-efficient 31 and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Maxey scored 33 points, adding five boards and six assists. Hornets legend Kyle Lowry contributed 15 points, six rebounds and 10 assists.
game recap
Bridges got the night started with a triple, and Seth Curry buried one soon after to give Charlotte an early lead. The Sixers took the advantage when Harris threw one down to finish off a fast break — after that, Philadelphia controlled the game for much of the first quarter. The Hornets got within one during a late-quarter run with Bertans hitting a couple nice shots, but the Sixers took a 32-27 lead into the second.
Williams and Richards combined to push the Hornets ahead early in the second, and Micic dimed up Richards on a drop-off for a dunk that triggered a Philadelphia timeout. The Hornets built a 13-3 run featuring threes from Bertans, Martin and Tre Mann, stretching the lead to double digits before Lowry got the Sixers back on track with a three of his own. The Sixers started working the ball inside a bit, cutting to the rim with smart angling and timing as they slowly trimmed the deficit to one, 54-53. Bridges sank a three to give Charlotte some breathing soon and they held serve into the break, leading 63-58 at halftime.
The Hornets stayed in front in the early portions of the third, with the Sixers slowly chipping away again, this time breaking through to tie it at 81. Richards split a pair of free throws to edge Charlotte back in front — that was the last time the Hornets held the lead in this game.
The Sixers ripped off a 14-4 run spanning the late-third and early-fourth, going up by nine on a Nic Batum three early in the final frame. The Hornets trailed by as many as 12 points with six minutes and 20 seconds remaining, making as big a push they could in crunch time. By the two-minute mark, Philadelphia’s lead had been cut to just two, 114-112 after Bridges and Williams knocked down back-to-back triples. Sadly, a Bridges layup two trips later was the only bucket Charlotte would score for the rest of the night. The Sixers avoided a gnarly collapse and pulled out the win in the end.
The good
The Hornets got off to a rough start shooting-wise tonight. Not via bad process offensively, but just because they weren’t making shots. Mann and Martin went oh-for in the first quarter, but the team totally flipped it around in the second — Charlotte ended up at 54.5% at halftime, once shots started falling it opened everything up. Even after the rough stretch in the second half, they still finished at 51.2% from the field and 42.4% from long-range.
It looks like there’s palpable chemistry being developing offensively. Actions and sets carry out longer through possessions, there’s far less standing around, waiting and deferring late in the shot clock, and Martin is a good release-valve ball-screen passer despite the struggles initiating. Six double figure scorers tonight and the team shot well. A performance to build upon offensively.
the bad
I hate calling out players individually, because I feel its often unfair and would rather not be apart of the piling-on. But, this was a rough one from Richards. Only 4 rebounds in 30 minutes, meanwhile Mo Bamba and BBall Paul combine for 16 boards and Harris grabs 12. The Hornets, despite having one center, still shouldn’t have gotten worked on the glass to the tune of 48-32 against this Sixers lineup. Richards only committed one foul and the Hornets were -9 when he was on the court.
More injuries. Curry and Martin both left the game, and their statuses are obviously up in the air for Sunday’s game at Toronto. Heavy sigh. It truly never ends.
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Chase Whitney
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