Once again, the Philadelphia 76ers were the Charlotte Hornets’ kryptonite.
The Hornets scored just 13 first-quarter points, trailed by as much as 26, and lost their 14th in a row to the Sixers 118-111 at Spectrum Center
Philadelphia center Joel Embiid was dominant, finishing with 34 points and 11 rebounds.
The Hornets got 22 points, eight assists and six rebounds from Gordon Hayward. Rookie Lamelo Ball, who started his second game, finished with 22 points and seven assists.
This broke a three-game winning streak for the Hornets, who dropped to 10-12. The Eastern Conference-leading 76ers improved to 16-6.
———
HUGE OFFENSIVE LETDOWN
Over a 13-game head-to-head losing streak, the Hornets have struggled greatly to guard the Sixers; in that span they allowed 49% shooting from the field and 38% from 3-point range. So the last thing the Hornets could afford Wednesday was shooting poorly.
The Hornet had their lowest-scoring quarter (13 points) and half (42 points) of the season. They made just 3 of their first 17 shots from 3-point range, and Philadelphia led by as much as 26 in the first half.
The bad 3-point shooting was a huge departure from recent performance. In victories over the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, the Hornets shot a combined 40 of 90 from the field.
———
LAMELO BALL AND MILES BRIDGES START
The Hornets’ top two reserves this season — rookie point guard Ball and forward Miles Bridges — both started against the Sixers, with Terry Rozier (sprained ankle) and P.J. Washington (sprained foot) missing the game.
Ball made his first NBA start against the Miami Heat on Monday. Bridges, who started last season small forward, made his first start this season. That put a major strain on depth, particularly with Philadelphia’s size being such a problem.
Coach James Borrego said pregame that Caleb and Cody Martin would both play and small forward Hayward would play some power forward. No matter how minutes were divided, the Hornets were going to struggle to match up with a team so big at center (7-foot Embiid) and point guard (6-10 Ben Simmons).
Borrego didn’t provide new information on Bridges’ and Rozier’s progress, but neither injury is expected to linger.
———
BRIDGES’ FOULS
With Washington out, the Hornet who would be hardest to lose right now is Bridges. He picked up three first-half fouls, playing 20 minutes. His productivity was good (11 points and six rebounds).
It appeared Borrego was rationing Cody Zeller’s minutes at center to shadow Embiid when he was in the game. Embiid had 20 points and eight rebounds by halftime.
———
BISMACK BIYOMBO REAPPEARS
Veteran center Bismack Biyombo had all but disappeared from the rotation after Zeller returned to the starting unit, following a month-long recovery from a broken finger. Biyombo didn’t play in victories over the Heat and Bucks and totaled 15 minutes in back-to-back games against the Indiana Pacers.
It was inevitable Biyombo would play Wednesday against the Sixers, not just because the Hornets played without Washington, but because Charlotte needed as many big bodies to throw at Embiid as possible. Even so, Biyombo played just three minutes in the first half.
———
BOX-OUT DRILLS
The Hornets are again last in the NBA in defensive-rebounding percentage, as they were most of last season. That has improved slightly the past three games (78%, versus the season-long 75%).
Borrego said he never thought he’d have to do something so rudimentary in the NBA as box-out drills, but that’s what he’s instituted in practice. Borrego said he got spoiled as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, knowing superstar Tim Duncan would make sure that team was never weak on the boards.
