Hornets Have All-Time Night To Forget In Latest Loss To 76ers

There’s really not much to say about the Charlotte Hornets’ 135-82 home loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night other than it was an absolute complete and total clunker of a performance. So much so, that it broke the record for the largest loss in franchise history (53), topping a 50-point drubbing dished out by the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 10, 2000 (137-87).

LaMelo Ball, Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams, and PJ Washington were all unavailable for the Hornets, who also lost Terry Rozier to a nose injury in the third quarter. Brandon Miller (14) and Bryce McGowens (12) were the only Charlotte players to score in double figures. Miller also went 2-of-4 from behind the arc to extend his consecutive games with multiple 3-pointers streak to 10, now tied for the eighth-longest run by a rookie in NBA history.

Facing a deep 76ers squad that had literally zero players out with injury, the cards were stacked against Charlotte right from the opening tip. Joel Embiid (18 points) outscored the hosts (17) by himself in the opening quarter, giving Philadelphia a 33-17 lead through the opening 12 minutes. It only got worse for the Hornets from there, as the deficit hit 29 at halftime, 41 by the end of third and then 53 when the game finally (and mercifully) came to an end.

“The overall story of the game would be more about the guys that didn’t play than did,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards. “There’re always things you can learn from a game. Look, we’ve got to get our guys back. It’s a brutal stretch… this week and the next two weeks. If you look at the upcoming schedule, it’s going to be hard. We’re not sure when those guys will come back. We’ve got to find a way to win enough so that when we get everybody at full strength and then a little time to kind of get a game together, that we’re not too far out.”

Using their ninth different starting lineup of the year, the Hornets shot a season-low 36.3% (33-of-91) and went 7-of-35 from 3-point range (20.0%), The 82 points matched their fewest in a game since the start of the 2020-21 NBA season (lost to the 76ers, 121-82, at home on March 17, 2023). The 53-point defeat also shattered the team record for the largest home loss (40), which was set on the first-ever Opening Night on Nov. 4, 1988 (lost to Cleveland, 133-93).

Embiid checked out of the game for good near the end of the third quarter, finishing with monstrous game-high totals in both points (42 on 18-of-23 shooting) and rebounds (15). This victory bumped the reigning MVP’s career record against the Hornets to a nearly perfect 17-1. Tyrese Maxey added 21 points – all of which came in the first half – while Tobias Harris (15) and former-Hornet Kelly Oubre Jr. (12) also reached double figures in the 76ers’ sixth straight win.

The Hornets will now embark on a two-game road trip starting with the Toronto Raptors on Monday, Dec. 18 beginning at 7:30 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ 92.7 FM.