The Philadelphia 76ers and the host Charlotte Hornets both face a quick turnaround for a game Saturday night, but the teams figure to in vastly different situations.
The 76ers should be somewhat fresh as they chase a sixth consecutive win, while the injury-riddled Hornets will try to withstand the recent wear and tear in a quest to break a three-game losing streak.
Philadelphia coach Nick Nurse is certainly encouraged.
“I think I’d say I’m pleasantly surprised offensively and I’m a little surprised defensively,” Nurse said.
The 76ers defeated the visiting Detroit Pistons 124-92 on Friday night to extend their second-longest winning streak of the season. It was such a thorough result that none of the 76ers logged 30 minutes of playing time, a big benefit of breaking out to a comfortable spread.
It was the third-largest margin of victory this season for Philadelphia, which sent Detroit to a franchise-record 22nd consecutive loss.
Fifteen 76ers were used, and seven reserves were on the court for at least a dozen minutes.
Even with the heavy dose of backups getting time, center Joel Embiid tallied 35 points and 13 rebounds in 29 minutes. Embiid has produced at least 30 points and 10 rebounds in each of his past ninth games, a franchise record, and he holds the NBA scoring lead at 33.8 points per game.
Philadelphia’s rebounding has been a plus, and with the Hornets potentially limited in the post, that could be a key part of the Saturday meeting. Embiid ranks fifth in the league in rebounding (11.4 boards per game).
“There was a handful of things that we looked at that we thought this team could do better than it did a year ago, and rebounding across the board was one of them,” Nurse said.
The Hornets have been without center Mark Williams (back) for three games. Nick Richards moved into the starting lineup, and he matched his season high with 16 points on Friday in Charlotte’s 112-107 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.
Charlotte added center Nathan Mensah on Thursday, and he came off the bench for his NBA debut on Friday. He fouled out in 13 minutes, scoring two points on a pair of free throws and pulling down seven rebounds.
The foul trouble was just part of some of the glitches that Charlotte couldn’t overcome.
“The big thing in the fourth (quarter) was getting into foul trouble early,” coach Steve Clifford said. “It’s hard, but you’ve got to play with discipline. It’s doable.”
Next, the Hornets must go against ex-teammate Nicolas Batum, who is turning in solid defensive outings for the 76ers. Most recently, he helped hold Detroit’s Cade Cunningham to 2-of-9 shooting and four points on Friday.
“He’s really good at taking that kind of player and denying them the ball,” Nurse said. “I remember that from playing against him in the past. He would take our main ballhandler and limit their touches.”
The Hornets will need to break through Philadelphia’s defense better than they did against the Pelicans. Charlotte managed only 39 first-half points, its lowest output in any half this season.
“We didn’t do a good job moving the defense, but we made really poor decisions in the paint, too — not playing off two feet, not playing under control, not looking for the kickout 3-point attempts,” Clifford said.
The Saturday game will be the first of four meetings between the teams this season.
–Field Level Media
