Tyrese Maxey and Paul George combine for a big night in the Sixers' win over the Hornets

Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer on Dec 16, 2024

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nick Nurse had a concerned look on his face, and with just cause.

But he was able to exhale in large part due to the Philadelphia 76ers All-Star duo of Tyrese Maxey and Paul George along with Kelly Oubre Jr.’s contributions. They combined to score 92 points to lead the Sixers to a 121-108 victory over the Charlotte Hornets Monday night at the Spectrum Center.

The win improved the Sixers to 8-16 and their fifth victory in seven games.

Maxey finished with a game-high 40 points while making 6 of 12 3-pointers and dishing out five assists. He made 8 of 10 foul shots in the fourth quarter to help clinch the game.

George added a season-high 33 points while making 6 of 9 3-pointers, along with five rebounds and eight assists. The nine-time All-Star passed Jason Terry for 10th all-time in the NBA career 3 point list with 2,285.

Meanwhile, Oubre finished with 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting to go with nine rebounds. Nine of his points came in the fourth quarter.

But the Sixers coach Nurse was concerned about facing the Hornets without his best player Joel Embiid, the rookie of the year front-runner Jared McCain, and key reserve Caleb Martin.

“It’s going to be tough,” Nurse said before the game at the Spectrum Center. “We talked about it yesterday, and again just to clarify that, I think Caleb, Jared and [Adem] Bona all played in the last game down here. All three of those guys are out and [Andre] Drummond is back. We’re going to use some guys that haven’t played for a minute. So hopefully they’ll be fresh.”

Nurse hoped the underutilized players would be ready to go against the finally healthy Hornets (7-19).

Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (15 points, 11 assists) returned after missing the previous seven games. Meanwhile, this was Miles Bridges’ second game back. Both standouts were sidelined in the Sixers’ 110-104 victory in Charlotte on Dec. 3.

Drummond, who didn’t play in the previous meeting, started at center for Philly in place of Embiid (right sinus fracture). Meanwhile, the Sixers went to KJ Martin over Guerschon Yabusele as the starting power forward in a starting lineup that included Oubre, Maxey, and George.

Kyle Lowry was the first man off the bench. Ricky Council IV and Yabusele were the seventh and eighth men, respectively. Eric Gordon entered as the ninth man at the start of the second quarter.

Gordon’s solid showing

Gordon was back in the rotation on Monday due to McCain suffering what is expected to be a season-ending torn meniscus in his left knee in Friday’s loss to Indiana.

This was the 17th-year veteran’s first game since failing to score on 0-for-4 shooting in 9 minutes, 49 seconds against the Detroit Pistons on Nov. 30.

Gordon had nine points while making 3 of 5 3-pointers while playing 26:09 against the Hornets. He took career low averages of 4.8 points and 16.5 minutes in his 16 appearances prior to Monday night.

After missing his two first-half 3-pointers, Gordon, who turns 36 on Christmas Day, found his rhythm while getting extended minutes after intermission.

That was something he has been unable to do while struggling from the field most of this season.

Gordon was asked before the game how he’s able to remain focused and composed through a rough stretch.

“It’s tough,” Gordon said, “because you are trying to figure out a flow within the game, trying to make the right plays.”

Due to injuries, the Sixers are still trying to figure out their collective identity. A 3-point threat, Gordon was signed to provide spacing for Embiid, George, and Maxey. However, he’s had to assume various other roles in his limited minutes.

“I feel like for me to maybe stay or the court or whatnot, I have to hit every shot or hit the right play every single time,” he said. “It’s almost like I feel like I have to play a perfect game to get minutes. So it’s a tough agenda to have.”

That type of mindset often leads to players putting pressure on themselves instead of playing freely.

But Gordon has continued to work hard. He’s been showing off for the optional workouts, and Nurse said he had a solid few days of practice heading into Monday’s game.

Right now, Gordon has been relying on the optional and regular practices as a way to stay sharp.

“I’m in the gym shooting every time, because minutes-wise I’ve always averaged around 30 minutes a game my whole career until this year,” he said. “Even last year, I almost averaged 30 minutes a game. So it’s definitely a culture shock. It’s different. It does take time to adjust.”