Philadelphia routs Hornets 144-114

PHILADELPHIA – Joel Embiid had 29 points, 14 rebounds and six assists and the Philadelphia 76ers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 144-114 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.

Philadelphia tied its franchise record of 21 3-pointers, last set on March 1, 2020.

Tobias Harris added 23 points and had a season-high five three-pointers as the Sixers placed seven players in double figures and was able to play their bench for the majority of the fourth quarter.

“We were able to move the ball well,” Embiid said according to AP. “I was extremely happy with the way that we played today because (of) the pace and how we moved the ball around and found our shooters.”

James Harden had 12 points and 13 assists for Philadelphia. Tyrese Maxey had 19 points and four assists.

Miles Bridges had 20 points for Charlotte, which has already wrapped up a berth in the East’s play-in tournament. PJ Washington had 14 points while LaMelo Ball added 13 for the Hornets.

“They made shots and you have to give them credit,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “They made shots. There were a few rotations where we could have been better with Embiid – the easy stuff at the rim with the rolls. Sometimes, you have to pick your poison when they hit their shots.”

Philadelphia broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring Charlotte by a 45-27 margin and hitting on 17 of 22 shots in the period, including 7 of 10 from beyond the 3-point arc to break open a 58-53 halftime edge.

“We needed to come out in the third quarter with a lot more energy and we were able to do that,” Harris said.

“We were able to get out off our stops, get good looks and push the pace. When we found a good set that work, we were able to keep going to that. And we have to build off that momentum.”

The Hornets struggled to defend the 3-point line, allowing the Sixers to shoot 21-for-43 (48.8 per cent) from beyond the arc.

“They made shots, but our turnovers helped give them some easy looks the other way,” Borrego said.

“We’re balancing everything game by game and possession by possession,” Harden said. “When Tyrese and Tobi have it going on and they are being aggressive, we can put up 140. It’s just me trying to make the right plays. There are nights when I’m going to have to be aggressive. It’s just going possession by possession and seeing the game as it plays out.”