Swarm and Sting
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Charlotte Hornets travel to Philadelphia seeking first win against the 76ers

By Elijah Edwards

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 13: Joel Embiid
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 13: Joel Embiid /
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After winning five straight, the Charlotte Hornets suffered a setback against the Boston Celtics. Can they get back on track against the Philadelphia 76ers?

Well, it’s officially March. For most teams in the NBA, this means playing for a playoff berth or simply trying to maintain a certain position in the playoffs. The Charlotte Hornets (28-34) are still in the former, believe it or not. If they actually want to make the playoffs, however, they’ll need to play at their best. 10 of their 20 remaining games come against opponents over .500.

The Philadelphia 76ers (33-27) constitute four of those matchups. In fact, they’ll play the 76ers four times in less than 30 days. Needless to say, Hornets fans are going to become really familiar with Joel Embiid and crew.

The Hornets’ last game was a 134-106 loss to the Boston Celtics. They are 10th in the East and are 4.5 games out from the last playoff spot. The 76ers are coming off a 108-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers. They are 6th in the East.

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Philadelphia 76ers vs Charlotte Hornets
7:00 p.m. EST, Friday, March 2nd, 2018
Wells Fargo Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Injury Report:

CHA:

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist – Hamstring (Game-Time Decision)

Cody Zeller – Ankle (Game-Time Decision)

PHI:

Justin Anderson – Ankle (Game-Time Decision)

Markelle Fultz – Shoulder (Out)

Demetrius Jackson – Hip (Game-Time Decision)

Furkan Korkmaz – Foot (Out)

Things to keep an eye on:

This will be the second game in as many days for the 76ers and their first home game in almost a week. It’ll be interesting to see how sluggish they’ll be, if at all. We all know how well the Hornets rebound the ball, but Philadelphia leads the NBA in rebounds per game, averaging 46.7 a game. Charlotte doesn’t lag too behind, though, sitting at 3rd in the league in rebounds per game, with 45.4. The duo of Embiid and Ben Simmons could prove quite the test for the Hornets due to their prolific work on the boards. Both combine for almost 19 a game, so an emphasis on the glass is imperative, especially if MKG and Cody do not play.

Keys to the game:

As mentioned before, rebounding will be at a premium here. Getting to the free-throw line will be key as well, as the 76ers commit the third most fouls in the NBA per game. Conveniently enough, Charlotte ranks first in the league in free-throws attempted, but that comes with a caveat, as they shoot the fourth lowest free-throw percentage in the NBA, at just over 73%. So, they’ll need to actually convert their shots from the stripe if they want to have a chance to win.

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This will be a tough one, but I think it’s one in which the Hornets can prevail. It won’t be easy and they’ll have to play smart as well as physical, but it’s certainly possible. We’ll see if Charlotte can “beat the process” Friday night in Philly.

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