(Field Level Media) Joel Embiid’s 33 points and 10 rebounds lifted the Philadelphia 76ers to a 97-89 victory against the host Charlotte Hornets last night.
Tobias Harris posted 21 points and Tyrese Maxey added 16 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who have a five-game winning streak.
Embiid struggled a bit from the floor, making only 11 of 23 attempts but scored at least 30 points for the 20th consecutive game. He was 11-for-12 on free throws. He didn’t play in the fourth quarter Friday night at Orlando, but he logged 37 minutes in Charlotte.
Miles Bridges compiled 25 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets, who’ve lost seven of their last eight games. Brandon Miller racked up 23 points despite 2-for-10 shooting from 3-point range and Terry Rozier had 19 points and nine rebounds, but Charlotte shot 41.2 percent from the floor.
The Hornets played without guard LaMelo Ball, who scored 28 points a night earlier but arrived with ankle soreness.
Hornets coach Steve Clifford said ideally it’s just a one-game absence this time after he missed about two months before returning to action in early January. Charlotte also played again without injured center Nick Richards.
Charlotte scored only five points in nearly eight minutes to begin the fourth quarter, falling into an 86-78 hole.
Harris had eight points and ex-Hornet Nicolas Batum had a basket during Philadelphia’s decisive surge. A Batum 3-pointer pushed the gap to 95-82.
The 76ers, who were 5-for-25 on 3s, finished with a 20-10 scoring advantage on free throws.
Bridges had five 3-pointers, but the rest of the Hornets combined to shoot 4-for-27 from beyond the 3-point arc.
The 76ers led 46-45 at halftime. Embiid scored 20 points in the first half. Neither team was above 20 percent on 3-point attempts before halftime.
After four straight points from Embiid, the 76ers were up 66-58. Charlotte answered with an 8-0 run and led 73-69 after three quarters.
