CHARLOTTE — Back at full strength for the first time in two months, the Philadelphia 76ers erased a 15-point deficit and edged the Charlotte Hornets 118-114 on Saturday night at Spectrum Center.
Guard Tyrese Maxey, sidelined the previous three weeks with a right finger tendon strain, delivered 26 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in his first game back. His one-handed breakaway dunk on Miles Bridges early in the fourth quarter tied the contest at 97-97 and set the tone for the closing stretch.
Key numbers
76ers 118, Hornets 114
• Philadelphia improves to 41-33, holding seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
• Charlotte falls to 39-35 and drops to 10th.
• The victory gives Philadelphia a 2-1 season-series win and the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Late-game sequence
With 1:04 remaining, Paul George buried a right-wing three-pointer to put Philadelphia ahead 116-114. Maxey added a free throw, and Joel Embiid blocked Brandon Miller’s three-point attempt with 7.4 seconds left. After a timeout, LaMelo Ball’s contested corner three over George missed at the horn.
Stat leaders
• George matched Maxey with 26 points and hauled in 13 rebounds.
• Embiid, playing his second game after a right oblique strain, scored 29 points and pulled down six boards.
• Miller paced Charlotte with 29 points, while Ball finished with 20 points and eight assists.
• Rookie Kon Knueppel posted 11 points and 11 rebounds, but he and Ball combined to shoot 10-for-40.
Roster notes
The game marked the first time since Jan. 29 that Embiid, Maxey and George shared the floor. George is two games removed from a 25-game league suspension for violating the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program, and Embiid recently missed 13 contests with the oblique injury. Forward Kelly Oubre Jr. also returned after sitting out with a left elbow strain.
“This is where we have to pull away,” George said of the tight Eastern Conference race.
Embiid added, “We need everybody we can get. We’ve got to win every single game. I don’t care where we end up.”
Source: ESPN
