Charlotte Hornets stumble down the stretch in loss to Philadelphia, 110-99
Kemba Walker‘s magnificent 31 point performance wasn’t enough to lift the Charlotte Hornets past the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Charlotte Hornets (28-35) were defeated by the Philadelphia 76ers (34-27) as they dropped their second straight game away from home. Despite a game-high 31 points from Kemba Walker, Charlotte was unable to close this one out. Philly closed the game on a 16-5 run to seal the Hornets’ fate.
Cody Zeller missed his second consecutive game with left knee soreness. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (left hamstring soreness) returned to the starting lineup after a one-game absence. Steve Clifford was ejected late in the game after picking up two technical fouls.
Game Story
The Hornets played well through the first three-quarters of the game and even led by six heading into the fourth. Unfortunately for Charlotte, they struggled in the final period and were outscored 39-19 in the final 12 minutes of the game. This matchup featured 11 lead changes and six ties.
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Player of the Game
Kemba finished with a game-high 31 points to go along with five assists and four made three’s. The all-star point guard scored 30+ points for the 12th time this season. Despite having such a great game, Walker was still a -12 in +/-.
Frank Kaminsky continued his strong play post-All-Star Break by scoring 19 points to lead Charlotte’s second unit. Nicolas Batum had a near triple-double with 14 points, 13 boards and eight assists. No other Hornets’ player scored in double-digits. Dwight Howard was held to only six points and six rebounds in this one.
The Sixers were led by Joel Embiid who had 23 points and 14 rebounds. J.J. Redick added 18 points while Ersan Ilyasova scored 18 off of the bench in only his second game since joining Philadelphia this season. Ben Simmons chipped in with 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists while Robert Covington rounded out the 76ers’ double-figure scorers with 16 points.
Highlight of the Night:
Tweet of the Game:
"Quick Stings"
- Nic grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds.
- Kemba recorded his 40th 20-point game of the season.
- Batum recorded his fourth double-double of the season.
- Kaminsky scored 10+ points for the fifth straight game.
- The 76ers outscored the Hornets 54-38 in the paint.
With the loss, Charlotte falls to 0-1 on the season against Philadelphia. The Hornets have now lost two straight regular-season games to the Sixers dating back to last season. They will next face off on March 6th in the Queen City.
In their next game, the Hornets will travel north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, March 4th. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the two sides as Charlotte’s lost all three matchups against Toronto so far this season. Steve Clifford’s side will look to end their three-game road trip off with a victory over the top team in the Eastern Conference.