The Philadelphia 76ers enter Saturday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets riding a surge of momentum as the second leg of a back-to-back set.
On Friday, Philadelphia secured a gritty 98-93 home victory over the defending champion New York Knicks, fueled by a standout performance from newcomer LeBron James.
“We are simply trying to prove something to ourselves,” remarked James, who delivered two critical baskets in the final 70 seconds of the contest.
Tyrese Maxey led the scoring with 27 points, while Anfernee Simons contributed 21 points off the bench. James rounded out the primary production with 20 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists, helping the 76ers shoot 49.3% from the field and improve their season record to 5-1.
Reflecting on the victory, Maxey praised the impact of his new teammate. “James provides a calming presence,” Maxey said. “He can secure rebounds, settle the offense, and just control the tempo. He is incredible, and at the end of the day, he is LeBron James—he can produce exactly what he did tonight.”
Notably, this marked the first time this season the 76ers won a game without scoring 100 points. While their scoring average of 108.7 points per game ranks fifth-lowest in the NBA, they remain significantly more potent than the Charlotte Hornets, who are currently averaging just 97.3 points per game.
Charlotte continues to struggle with offensive consistency, marking their second consecutive game without high production following a 95-79 loss to the Washington Wizards on Friday.
Brandon Miller has led the Hornets in scoring for four consecutive games, though his output dipped to 19 points on 7-for-24 shooting, breaking a streak of three games where he exceeded 30 points.
A poor team shooting performance of 29.7% ultimately proved costly for the Hornets.
“I believe we created high-quality opportunities through our pace of play,” said Hornets head coach Charles Lee. “I am confident that our current process on both ends of the floor will yield better results in the future.”
Despite the recent losses, Lee noted several positive trends, including a significant reduction in turnovers—dropping from 25 against Detroit on Wednesday to just 12 in the Washington loss. He also highlighted that the team generated 29 more field-goal attempts than the Wizards.
“The competitive spirit and our defensive process are moving in the right direction,” Lee noted. “However, we surrendered 35 free throws on Friday, so we need to be more disciplined in our physical execution.”
The 76ers face some roster uncertainty heading into Saturday. Jaylen Brown sat out Friday’s game due to a left knee issue and is expected to return soon.
“He reported soreness following the game in Indianapolis,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse explained. “He wasn’t able to participate in today’s shootaround. We certainly want him on the court, but he simply wasn’t ready to play on Friday.”
In Brown’s absence, Dean Wade started for Philadelphia, playing 27 minutes without recording a point. While there was speculation that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope might see increased minutes, he finished with five points in 21 minutes, matching his season low.
Given the back-to-back schedule, it remains to be seen if LeBron James and veteran center Joel Embiid will be rested for the trip to Charlotte.
Philadelphia has been perfect on the road thus far, having secured wins against both the Knicks in their season opener and the Pacers.
Last season, the 76ers won two of their three matchups against Charlotte, though the Hornets managed to snap an 11-game winning streak against Philadelphia with a victory in January.
