Rookie Joel Embiid pushes Philadelphia 76ers past Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets’ ownership of the Philadelphia 76ers expired Friday.

The Hornets swept the four-game series last season and won the only previous meeting this season. But the Hornets had no answer for Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, a prohibitive favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year. Embiid finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in a 102-93 victory at Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers (12-25) are on an uptick lately, having won four of the previous five games. In contrast, the Hornets (20-20) lost their fourth in a row, all on the road. They face a tough game Monday against the Celtics in Boston.

The Hornets had major shooting troubles, particularly point guard Kemba Walker, who missed 11 of his first 13 attempts.

The Sixers went up by double figures in the fourth quarter. The Hornets cut that deficit to six with under two minutes left.

Three who mattered

Joel Embiid: Along with his scoring, he twice blocked Cody Zeller at the rim.

Dario Saric: He was the best player on the above-average NBA bench the Sixers have assembled.

Nerlens Noel: He played aggressive defense without fouling.

Observations

▪  The Hornets got back starters Nic Batum and Cody Zeller Friday. Batum missed two games with a hyper-extended knee. Zeller missed the loss in Houston due to an illness. Coach Steve Clifford said pre-game neither player was under a minutes restriction.

▪  Former Duke star Jahlil Okafor has fallen so far out of the 76ers’ rotation that he didn’t play in the three games prior to the meeting with the Hornets. Before the game, Sixers coach Brett Brown said Okafor has had a great attitude about the situation, staying focused in practices and shootarounds.

▪  Kemba Walker has had five games this season when he has made five or more 3-pointers. In his previous four NBA seasons, he totaled two games with five or more 3s.

▪  Walker averages 12.3 points per game this season as the ballhandler in pick-and-roll situations. He leads the NBA in that category.

▪  Nic Batum’s 7.4 rebounds per game is third among NBA guards. He trails Russell Westbrook (10.7) and James Harden (8.3).

Worth mentioning

▪  Hornets guard-forward Jeremy Lamb didn’t make the trip to Philadelphia. He has an inflamed metatarsal.

▪  The Hornets flew back to Charlotte after the game, rather than heading to Boston for Monday’s game against the Celtics.

▪  With Lamb out, rookie small forward Treveon Graham was promoted into the rotation.

Report card

D OFFENSE: Other than getting to the foul line, there wasn’t much to like about the Hornets offensively Friday.

C DEFENSE: The Hornets aren’t the first team with no answer for Embiid, but he wore out Charlotte’s centers.

C COACHING: Usually, the Hornets play better after multiple days off from games. Certainly wasn’t the case Friday

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 9:39 PM with the headline "Rookie Joel Embiid pushes Philadelphia 76ers past Charlotte Hornets."