On the second night of a road back-to-back, the Philadelphia 76ers (28-13) faced the Charlotte Hornets (9-31). The Sixers played a bad game overall but still won by a score of 97-89.

Let’s break down the Sixers' ugly win.

76ers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 33 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 11-23 FG shooting

Embiid wasn’t even that great in this game but was the only Sixer who had a genuine pulse to start the game. He did his thing but wasn't on a god-level burner, which his team really needed. His playmaking was nullified by Philly’s miserable shooting night but he still anchored the team extremely well on both sides of the floor, earning his 20th straight 30-point performance.

Tyrese Maxey: 16 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals, 7-22 FG shooting

Maxey had nothing going from beyond the arc, as did many of his teammates. His tired legs didn’t stop him from scoring at the rim and setting up his teammates. Away from the ball on defense, he made some nice plays, making him much more impactful than his disappointing shooting splits indicate.

Hornets player notes:

Terry Rozier: 19 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 9-17 FG shooting

Rozier could be a hot commodity ahead of the trade deadline and this performance could bump his stock up. The Hornets guard flashed his slick handles and ability to shoot off the bounce, giving them a stable scoring presence that they badly needed.

Game recap:

1st half

Fresh off of a massive win over the stout Orlando Magic, the 76ers got a bit of a break on their second game in as many days by taking on a lackluster Hornets team. Philly put a gnarly beat down on the hive the last time they faced off and, just like last time, LaMelo Ball was out. The Hornets were also shorthanded due to the absences of versatile wing Gordon Hayward, starting center Mark Williams and backup Nick Richards. Meanwhile, the Sixers were without Patrick Beverley, De'Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, Jaden Springer and Mo Bamba.

P.J. Washington started at center and guarded Embiid but the big man knew how impactful his size advantage was. Backing him down into the paint and tossing the ball in was a far too easy move to pass up. The Hornets left Washington on an island to die rather than trying to double. They switched it up eventually, going with the even smaller Cody Martin on Embiid. But he picked up a pair of fouls quickly.

Embiid skied for a pair of huge blocks but the 76ers' defense was uninspired to begin, as they were straight-up awful at communicating in transition. If it weren’t for Miles Bridges bricking nearly every shot he took, the Hornets could have jumped out to a nice lead. Even still, Philly's frigid shooting outside of Embiid allowed Charlotte to keep it close and eventually take the lead. The hosts were also on the second night of a back-to-back and the fatigue showed from both squads.

Furkan Korkmaz was one of the 76ers' first subs of the night, coming in with Marcus Morris Sr. He faked a pass and slithered his way into the paint for a smooth finger-roll layup early in his stint, showing that his razzle dazzle can’t be shaken even if he’s riding the bench. Danuel House Jr. came in shortly thereafter.

The Sixers opened the second quarter with six straight points, forcing a Charlotte timeout. Maxey started to get going as he charged into the paint to score at the rim and drilled a long triple. Spacing the floor and letting him attack was a recipe for success, though some more poor transition defense minimized the impact.

Embiid picked up where he left off, swishing mid-range J's, including an and-one jumper over Charlotte reserve Nathan Mensah. But his length actually make Embiid work a little bit for his points. The Hornets were able to push the 76ers deeper into the shot clock, forcing tougher looks. The shots on Philly’s end stopped falling, allowing the inferior opponent to stick around.

The 76ers lead 46-45 at the break.

2nd half

The 76ers came out executing much better on offense to begin the third quarter. The ball movement was very solid and it got them numerous shots at the rim. Half of their first 10 shots came from up close and three more came from deep. Charlotte benefitted from a missed goaltending call but still did their part to keep it close, namely with an off-balance bucket from Rozier and a quick-release triple from Brandon Miller.

Miller continued to showcase his improvement by taking it to the hoop for another score. The Hornets screened for their shooters to open up triples. The results weren’t seen on the scoreboard despite those looks being open. An illegal screen nullified one of them before former Sixer Ish Smith led a fast break and assisted Miller for an and-one layup, part of his 12 points in the third quarter. He also rose up for a floater and assisted JT Thor for a triple that tied the game.

Meanwhile, Embiid was unable to score at will by himself and kicked the ball out for open looks that his teammates couldn’t convert. Philly made one triple for each of the first three quarters on 20 attempts and trailed by four heading into the fourth.

Iron-willed layups from Maxey and House right out of the gate to start the final frame tied the game up. Tobias Harris took the lead back on a face-up jumper. The Hornets' offense ran cold with House playing very nice defense at the point of attack, forcing a pair of takeaways from Charlotte.

Embiid returned to the game with a four-point lead. Batum continued exacting his revenge with a smooth layup as Embiid stepped up with some big defensive plays before House smacked a Rozier shot to the bench with a chase-down rejection. Charlotte mustered up just seven points in the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter as the 76ers looked to close the deal out.

With more picture-perfect jumpers, Embiid stretched the Sixers lead all the way to 12, though the Hornets stayed with it and made enough shots to stave off garbage time. Philly did empty its bench in the final minute with Terquavion Smith and Ricky Council IV but the Hornes promptly cut a 10-point lead to six. The starters had to finish the job but it got finished nonetheless.

This effort from the 76ers was good enough but overall below their standard — and being on a back-to-back is no excuse, nor is being without numerous role players. Charlotte might have been home for their back-to-back games but 1) they’re the Charlotte Hornets and 2) they were missing not only their best player but their top two guys who play the same position as their opponent’s superstar. It's not only on the players to play harder but on Nick Nurse to recognize that and maybe give the two-way guys a run earlier. A Smith heater and/or some juice on the wing from Council could have helped.

In the end, the 76ers had Joel Embiid and that was enough.

Random tidbits:

  • The Hornets continue to have some of the best branding in the NBA. The court design that matched their jerseys and featured the basketball grooves in the jump-ball circle were really nice touches.
  • No K.J. Martin minutes with such a shorthanded group…why?

On Monday back in Philly, the 76ers will get their first look of the season at Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.