Charlotte Hornets return home to face the Philadelphia 76ers

The Charlotte Hornets’ playoff hopes took a heavy blow in Miami. Can they redeem themselves at home against the talented Philadelphia 76ers?

The Charlotte Hornets (31-38) desperately needed a win over the Miami Heat over the weekend. Sadly, that didn’t happen as the Heat held the Hornets to just 75 points. You’re not going to win many games with that type of output.

Still, they are just two games back of the Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot, but with a remaining schedule that includes teams like the Toronto Raptors, Golden State Warriors, and the Boston Celtics, it’s not going to be easy.

Another tough team they’ll have to face is the Philadelphia 76ers (45-25), who just so happen to have beaten the Hornets nine straight times.

To be fair, every game this season against Philly has been close, with two of those games going into overtime. How close have they been? The 76ers have beaten Charlotte by a combined six points in three games.

Hopefully the Hornets can finally get over the hump because they need every win they can get at this point.

Charlotte’s last game was a 75-93 loss to the Miami Heat. They are still 10th in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia’s last contest was a 130-125 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. They are 3rd in the Eastern Conference. This is the final game in which these two teams will meet.

Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers
7:00 p.m. EST, Tuesday, March 19th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Fox Sports Southeast

Stream: Fubo.tv

Injury Report:

CHA:

Cody Zeller – Knee (Doubtful)

Tony Parker – Rest (Out)

PHI:

Joel Embiid – Rest (Out)

Furkan Korkmaz – Knee (Out)

Things to watch for:

Well, would you look at that? Joel Embiid is sitting due to rest.

Charlotte may actually have a shot in this one, as Embiid has dominated the Hornets this season, averaging 34 points per game against the guys in purple and teal.

They have Jimmy Butler and Ben Simmons to contend with, of course, but any bit of help Charlotte can get is a necessity at this point.

Keys to the game:

To no one’s surprise, the 76ers are at or near the top of every major offensive category. That also includes turnovers and not in a good way.

They commit the 4th most turnovers in the NBA. Compare that to the Hornets, who commit the 2nd fewest, and you have what could be a point of emphasis for the team. If they can play physical defense and anticipate and break up passing lanes, that could be very beneficial to a team who badly needs a win.

They’ll need to be careful not to foul while playing said defense as the 76ers draw the 5th most personal fouls in the league. They’ll need to keep their hands up and stay in front of their man while avoiding silly reach-in fouls.

A lot of Hornets fans may have given up hope and are simply wishing for the best draft position. A potential first-round exit at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks doesn’t sound appealing, but I’d at least like a chance to see what the team could do in the playoffs.

They need to start chaining some wins together for that to happen, though. Does that start with a home win over the 76ers? We’ll see about that Tuesday evening in Charlotte.