Paul George's 29 points leads the Sixers past the Hornets for second straight victory

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 3, 2024

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What should we make of the Philadelphia 76ers’ winning streak?

Is it the result of the Sixers playing their best basketball of the season? Or could it be the result of playing two struggling and depleted teams?

Those are legitimate questions for a team trying to find its groove this season. And the Sixers will get the answers to those questions during the two-game series against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday and Friday at the Wells Fargo Center.

But for the time being, the Sixers wanted to enjoy what was a season milestone.

Tuesday’s 110-104 NBA Cup victory over the Charlotte Hornets gave the Sixers consecutive wins for the first time since finishing last season with a nine-game winning streak. This victory followed the Sixers’ win over the Detroit Pistons Saturday at Little Caesars Arena.

Paul George, Tyrese Maxey and Jared McCain all had a hand in Tuesday’s victory.

George finished with 29 points while making 6 of 9 three-pointers to go along with eight three assists. The nine-time All-Star tallied 11 of his points in the second quarter.

Maxey overcame a rough shooting night while scoring 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. He scored their last 11 points.

McCain had 17 points on 7 for 10 on a day he was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month for October and November. He made his first five shots. Charlotte shooting guard Brandon Miller finished with a game-high 34 points.

The Sixers’ latest victory improved them to 5-14 and 2-2 in East Group A play. The loss dropped the Hornets to 6-15 and 0-4 in East Group A play.

The Hornets were a shell of the team the Sixers defeated 107-105 in overtime on Nov. 10. Back then LaMelo Ball finished with a game-high 38 points. The point guard missed Tuesday’s game with a left calf strain.

Charlotte was also without standouts Malik Bridges (right knee bone bruise), Grant Williams (right knee ACL tear), and Tre Mann (disc irritation). The Hornets did welcome back Mark Williams but the 7-foot center was rusty and on a minutes restriction while playing in his first game since Dec. 8, 2023.

And the Sixers took full advantage, jumping out to an 19-point cushion. They also shot 40% on three-pointers. However, the Hornets tied the score at 95 with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left on KJ Simpson’s pair of foul shots.

But George responded with a basket on the ensuing possession before the Hornets knotted the score again on a pair of Nick Richards’ free throws.

The Hornets took a 100-99 lead on Miller’s three-pointer with 1:32 remaining. But Maxey made three consecutive foul shots before missing the fourth to give the Sixers a 102-100 lead with 21 seconds later.

Simpson then tied the score with a pair of foul shots with 44 seconds remaining in the game. But after a timeout, Maxey scored a layup to put the Sixers up 104-102 with 29.7 seconds left.

After Miller airballed a floater in the lane, Caleb Martin grabbed the defensive rebound and dished the ball to Maxey. The All-Star point guard was fouled, and went to the line to make free throws to give the Sixers a 106-102.

Maxey went back to the line with 9.1 seconds left. He sank them to put give the Sixers a 108-104 advantage.

The Sixers welcomed back Martin (upper back soreness), Kyle Lowry (strained right hip), and Reggie Jackson (right knee soreness) against the Hornets. Lowry had missed the previous five games. Martin was been sidelined for two, while Jackson missed Saturday’s game against the Pistons.

Meanwhile, the were without starting center Joel Embiid and backup center Andre Drummond.

Drummond will also miss the Magic games with a sprained right ankle before being reevaluated this weekend. Embiid didn’t make the two-game road due to left injury management/personal reasons. But Tuesday marked the fifth consecutive game that he’s missed. The 2023 league MVP has missed 15 of the Sixers’ 19 games.

Coach Nick Nurse said he didn’t have an update on Embiid’s status before the game. Then asked if the seven-time All-Star would play Wednesday, Nurse responded, “I don’t know.”

“You can try to ask me after the game to see if I have any update,” he said, “but I don’t have any right now.”

After the game, Nurse said he doesn’t expect that Embiid will play on Wednesday. The Sixers will also check to see about George’s availability for the game.