Before their latest matchup, just one game separated the Hornets and 76ers in the Eastern Conference standings. With a win today, the Hornets would have moved into seventh place in the standings, challenging the Hawks for a spot in the top six.
Instead, it was the 76ers who came out on top by four (118-114), thanks to a collaborative group effort led by the big three (Paul George, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey). With 118 points on 48.8% shooting as a team, the Sixers bombarded the young Hornets with steady scoring, and they were unable to respond as LaMelo shot just 26.9%.
While it was far from a perfect game for the 76ers, it’s a reminder of how good they can be when everyone’s healthy and clicking. Now, at 41-33, they are peaking at the right time, and the fans are praying that they can keep this momentum long enough to climb out of play-in range.
Tyrese Maxey: A+
Game Stats: 26 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 10-18 FG, 3-6 3PT, 3-4 FT, 43 MIN
Tyrese Maxey made his highly anticipated return to action today after missing the last 10 games. There was some concern that he came back too soon, but he didn’t look like it tonight as he played with a certain confidence that was unmistakable. 26 points on good efficiency is well enough, but he found other ways to impact the game by grabbing rebounds, playing defense, and totaling a team-high eight assists. Even more impressively, Maxey played all but one minute in the game, illustrating just how much the Sixers rely on his contributions.
Paul George: A
Game Stats: 26 PTS, 13 REB, 2 AST, 4 STL, 1 BLK, 3 TO, 9-19 FG, 4-11 3PT, 4-5 FT, 36 MIN
Paul George just recently came back from a 25-game suspension, and he’s never looked so fresh. At 35, the rest must have done some good for him, as he’s now playing like the guy they initially signed for. Tonight, his offense was key in the win and helped spread the floor for the others. In typical 3-and-D fashion, he was also playing the passing lanes, leading to four steals that helped keep the Hornets in check. When George is playing with this kind of rhythm, Philly is hard to beat, and it makes them a team to fear in the playoffs.
Joel Embiid: A-
Game Stats: 29 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 0 STL, 2 BLK, 0 TO, 8-19 FG, 3-6 3PT, 10-13 FT, 35 MIN
Injuries have been the story of Joel Embiid’s career, but we all know what he can do when healthy. Against a young Hornets team that had no answer in the frontcourt, he had his way in the paint with timely baskets and a physical presence that helped generate points at the line. Defensively, his presence loomed under the basket as he contested shots and bothered shooters throughout the game. While he may no longer be the primary offensive option in Philly, Embiid is still capable of putting up big numbers, just like he did today.
VJ Edgecombe: B
Game Stats: 13 PTS, 5 REB, 3 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 5-11 FG, 3-4 3PT, 0-0 FT, 30 MIN
VJ Edgecombe has been a Rookie of the Year candidate all season long, but his game can adapt to many different types of roles. In this showdown, he wasn’t really a primary scoring option, but he still looked comfortable in the offense, playing within the flow of the game without stepping on anyone’s toes. His willingness to play around the big three helped the 76ers maximize their offense, giving him easy buckets and plenty of opportunities to impact the game.
Quentin Grimes: B-
Game Stats: 8 PTS, 1 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 0BLK, 1 TO, 2-5 FG, 2-3 3PT, 2-2 FT, 38 MIN
Quentin Grimes has been having a modest campaign in Philly, but that’s all the 76ers need from him as their Sixth Man off the bench. While Grimes is a capable scorer, he excels on defense, and that’s where he made the most impact today. He was active on that end, bothering defenders on the ball with his strength and speed. He also provided some timely buckets when needed, giving the Sixers another weapon to make them even more unpredictable.
Kelly Oubre Jr.: B-
Game Stats: 9 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 1 STL, 0 BLK, 1 TO, 3-5 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-3 FT, 27 MIN
Kelly Oubre Jr. can be strady at times, but he can provide a major boost when he’s got it going from three. Today, he only made one out of three attempts from downtown, but he found other ways to score within the flow of the game. As the defenders scramble to cover the big three, Oubre was often given opportunities with the ball, and he made the most of them with high efficiency across the board.
Justin Edwards: C
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT, 7 MIN
You can’t really expect much from Justin Edwards, as he only plays a minimal role in the rotation. With stats like that (zeroes across the board), you can’t say he did particularly well in this game, but he didn’t hurt the 76ers. In fact, as a +13, he finished with one of the highest plus-minus numbers on the team. So while he may have been harder to notice today, Edwards was making all the right plays to help his team win, and it’s part of the season he got the third-most minutes off the bench.
Andre Drummond: C-
Game Stats: 0 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 0 STL, 1 BLK, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 6 MIN
At 32 years old, Andre Drummond is already well past his prime, and he’s become nothing more than a fringe bench player for the Sixers. Behind Joel Embiid and Adem Bona, he doesn’t always get to play, and he’s never a major part of the game plan when he does. Still, you have to consider it a disappointment for someone with his track record not to make a bigger impact in this game, particularly on the boards, where the Sixers got beat 66-53.
Adem Bona: D+
Game Stats: 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TOV, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT, 5 MIN
It wasn’t a good game for Adem Bona. While he’s had his moments this season, the 6’10” big man was completely invisible on the court. He’s supposed to be their second-unit center, but Nick Nurse clearly wasn’t feeling good about his play out there, given he was only active for five minutes. With Philadelphia getting heavily beaten and bullied on the glass, Bona was just giving them what they needed, forcing them to turn to Andre Drummond down the stretch.
Dominick Barlow: D
Game Stats: 3 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 0 STL, 0 BLK, 0 TO, 1-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 1-2 FT, 15 MIN
Dominick Barlow was the fifth starter for Philly, and this was arguably one of his worst games yet. At a team-worst -16 in 15 minutes, he was struggling to help his team today and looked lost at times. With four personal fouls in the game, he was just outmatched in this game, and that makes sense given how stacked the Hornets’ lineup is with guys like Miles Bridges and Kon Knueppel making life difficult for defenders.
