The Charlotte Hornets have hit a stride recently and that’s not something the Philadelphia 76ers can say.
The teams will meet Monday night in Charlotte after the Hornets won two games in a row, while showing their improvement since the start of the new year.
“The offensive rate has been really good because we’ve been sharing the ball,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “I think all five guys are committed to rebounding. … The commitment to each other, there have been some connected defensive possessions.”
Both teams played Saturday afternoon with different results.
The Hornets earned a 119-115 victory over the Washington Wizards, while the 76ers fell 112-109 at home to the New York Knicks despite Joel Embiid’s 38-point, 11-rebound output.
Philadelphia has lost four of its last six games, with one of the victories requiring overtime against Houston.
“We got to play faster,” Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey said, referring to rough patches during the loss to the Knicks. “Tried to ease into it, and (we) can’t do that.”
The Knicks led by as many as 17 points in the fourth quarter before the 76ers put together a rally that fell short as Maxey missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 5.8 seconds remaining.
The Hornets will be challenged to handle Embiid’s inside presence along with his versatility. That task could fall to Moussa Diabate and rookie reserve Ryan Kalkbrenner, who was praised earlier in the season for his adjustments defensively. Kalkbrenner’s court time has been reduced recently while still making an impact.
“I think we’re seeing his physically go up,” Lee said. “I think all of a sudden, his mindset has changed about how he’s going to dominate the paint at both ends.”
Diabate said he understands the importance of his role defensively.
“Defense is fun to me,” he said. “When you have four other guys that can guard as well as you, it makes it a lot easier. Now it becomes a game of who wants to guard who.”
Kalkbrenner has joined Kon Knueppel and Sion James as key rookie contributors for the Hornets.
“All three have grown,” Lee said.
The turnover bug continues to be an issue for the Hornets, who had 21 giveaways against the Wizards. The 76ers forced only 10 turnovers against the Knicks on Saturday.
When the 76ers and Hornets met in October, Philadelphia claimed a 125-121 home victory despite LaMelo Ball coming within two assists of a triple-double for Charlotte. Maxey had 28 points, while Embiid posted 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting.
The 76ers have been in multiple close finishes this month. Three games have gone into overtime while all three of their losses in the last 10 days have come by six points or less.
Saturday’s game in Charlotte had a time adjustment because of impending wintry weather. The Hornets noticed the support they received and will be looking for more as the region recovers from the storm.
“We got the best fans in the world, the most loyal fans,” forward Miles Bridges said. “To come out here when it’s about to be an ice storm, that means a lot to us. So we had to reward them with the win.”
