More Coverage: Game Gallery | James Borrego Postgame | Gordon Hayward Postgame
For the second time in three nights, a depleted Charlotte Hornets squad pushed the visiting Philadelphia 76ers all the way to the brink, but just couldn’t make enough plays to close things out in a 110-106 loss on Wednesday evening.
Much like Monday’s affair, the rematch was also tightly contested, although not nearly as fast or offensively driven. After PJ Washington banked in a 3-pointer with 3:25 left in the fourth, Philadelphia went on an 8-0 run over the next minute and a half to take a 105-98 lead. Charlotte eventually got the deficit down to one possession, but the 76ers held on in the end.
“They hit a couple shots at the end,” said Hornets Head Coach James Borrego after the loss. “I thought we battled our tail off against them and did everything we could. They had a couple threes there at the end. Give them credit. I thought we battled and competed tonight.”
Gordon Hayward bounced back with a season-high 31 points and seven assists in the loss, while Kelly Oubre Jr. recorded 22 points and a season-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the campaign. Joel Embiid racked up 32 points on 8-of-17 shooting and also knocked down 15-of-19 free-throw attempts, which was two fewer takes than the entire Hornets team.
Not having a traditional point guard available probably caught up to the Hornets a little, as they finished with a season-high 19 turnovers leading to 23 Philadelphia points. Said Hayward, “I think we’re fighting out there. We’re battling and giving it our all, but came up short again tonight, so it’s tough. Just too many turnovers and we left a lot of [transition points] off the board. If we clean that up, we win this game.”
To take a team like Philadelphia to the wire twice in a row with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Mason Plumlee, Ish Smith and Jalen McDaniels all sidelined because of Health and Safety Protocols is certainly an impressive feat for the Hornets. But there’s also some understandable frustration and disappointment to be so close to finally snapping a long losing streak to the 76ers and not having a full deck at their disposal to do so.
“There is no drop-off, no matter who is down, who is out,” added Borrego. “We’re just going to compete our tail off. That’s what we’re about. Our day is coming. We just have to stay with it. It’s going to turn for us this year. The shots are going to fall, we’ll get healthy, the schedule is going to fall our direction. There’s a lot of bright days ahead. These are the grind-out days. You just have to stay with it. This is where you forge the fire right now. The losses are painful, but the beauty is in the journey of staying together. I’m so proud of this group.”
The Hornets will now close out their three-game homestand against the Sacramento Kings on Friday, Dec. 10 beginning at 7 PM ET.