After ripping off a season-high seven victories in a row, the Philadelphia 76ers' win streak came to an end Wednesday night. LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets put an end to their hot stretch, walking out of Philly with a 109-98 victory. Here are some observations from the matchup.
1) Speed kills
One area that has troubled the Sixers mightily over the past two seasons is transition defense. This glaring weakness was on full display Wednesday, as the Hornets did their fair share of damage in the open floor.
Being a younger group, Charlotte takes every fastbreak opportunity they can get. Having such a highly-skilled point guard like Ball, they can easily make scrambling defenses pay. When all was said and done, the Hornets outscored the Sixers 25-14 in terms of fastbreak points.
Frankly, the Sixers just didn't bring the energy needed to keep up with a team like Charlotte. Once the Hornets turned the game into a track meet, their lead quickly ballooned. Poor transition defense has plagued the Sixers all year and played a pivotal role in their downfall Wednesday.
2) Multiple mismatches
Across the board, the Hornets are a tough opponent for the Sixers matchup-wise. Their lineup is filled with lengthy and athletic perimeter players. Between a small backcourt and losing a key defender midway through the game, the Sixers were fighting an uphill battle on the defensive end.
Not only were their apparent mismatches on the perimeter, but the Hornets did a near-perfect job of exploiting them. The most notable standout for Charlotte was Gordon Hayward, who notched 30 points on a stellar 13-for-16 shooting. Terry Rozier (22 points) and Miles Bridges (21 points) also managed to carve through the defense.
Matisse Thybulle is a premier defender in the NBA, but he is only one man. There is little he can do when an opponent has multiple perimeter threats who can score the ball in bunches. Whether they'd like to admit it or not, this is a game where Ben Simmons' defensive versatility would have come in handy.
3) Missed opportunities at the free-throw line
Despite Charlotte having control of the game for a majority of the night, the Sixers were within striking distance multiple times. After ripping off a 15-2 run midway through the third quarter, they'd found themselves down as little as seven points. Unfortunately for them, the Hornets always answered with a run of their own.
Another key area that hurt the Sixers Wednesday night was free-throw shooting. As a team, they left ten points at the line, only converting 18 of their 28 attempts. All their struggles came from the frontcourt, as Joel Embiid (10-14) and Andre Drummond (0-4) accounted for eight of the ten misses.
This was an uncharacteristically bad shooting night from Embiid, as he is usually lights out from the foul line. Drummond was seen getting shots up after the game following a very poor shooting night.
A team can't expect to win when they are leaving double-digit points at the free-throw line. If the Sixers had gotten some of those attempts to fall, it might have put them in a better position to steal a win on their home floor.
Follow Us
Subscribe