Tyrese Maxey scored 38 and Philadelphia climbed out of a 13-point first-quarter hole to beat the Hornets 109-104 without LeBron James or Joel Embiid. The win holds the Sixers at 5-1 and the No. 2 seed in the East, with two days off before the Bulls visit.
How did a team missing two stars dig out of a 13-point hole?
Charlotte's 13-0 burst midway through the first turned 15-10 into 15-23, and the Hornets were up 37-24 late in the quarter. Philadelphia answered with 11 straight across the break to get within 35-37. Then an 8-0 run in the middle of the second flipped 38-44 into 46-44, and the Sixers went to the locker room ahead 57-54 after Charlotte had won the first quarter by ten.
Is Maxey carrying too much with LeBron and Embiid sitting?
He carried it, and he did it efficiently. Maxey finished with 38 points, four rebounds and four assists, and his first 19 came on 8-of-13 shooting with one turnover. Four assists is not a playmaking night. But with both big names sidelined, 38 on the second night of a back-to-back, a day after he scored 27 against New York, is the job description, not a warning sign.
Should anyone worry about Jaylen Brown's shooting?
Not after one night back. The Inquirer listed him questionable after he missed the Knicks win, and he went 2-of-9 for five points over his first 21 minutes, 0-of-2 from deep. He was still +8 in that stretch, and Nick Nurse closed with Brown, Adem Bona, Dean Wade, Maxey and VJ Edgecombe. Bona put up the best mark on the team: +10 in 14 minutes.
Who earned the grades, and who didn't?
Maxey gets an A: 38 points, including 3-of-5 from three early. Edgecombe gets a B: seven points, three rebounds, two assists and +8 in 21 minutes, steady a night after his late three against New York. Simons gets a C: 3-of-6 from deep for 11 in 10 minutes, but -6, the worst on the roster, on a night Grayson Allen went 5-of-6 from three off Charlotte's bench.
What does this change before the Bulls on Monday?
The cushion, mostly. Philadelphia is three games clear of 11th and on pace for 68-14, which would beat the 1967 team's 68-13, so go ahead and print the banners. The reality check: Charlotte played without Kon Knueppel, Coby White, Grant Williams and Kylan Boswell. James and Embiid both carry an estimated November 2 return, and after Chicago the Sixers play at Detroit, Cleveland and Chicago.
Did the 76ers beat the Hornets without LeBron James and Joel Embiid?
Yes. Philadelphia won 109-104 in Charlotte on October 31 with both James and Embiid out, behind 38 points from Tyrese Maxey.
When are LeBron James and Joel Embiid expected back for the 76ers?
Both have an estimated return date of November 2, the home game against the Bulls.
