Turnover-prone Charlotte Hornets fall to the Philadelphia 76ers

Two days after Nic Batum promised a victory, the Charlotte Hornets couldn’t deliver.

The Hornets lost at home to the Philadelphia 76ers 105-99, their second loss this season to the Sixers. The Hornets have now lost 10 of their past 11, falling to 24-31.

The Sixers, playing without centers Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, improved to 21-34.

Hornets shooting guard Batum said after Saturday’s home loss to the Los Angeles Clippers that his team would definitely win Monday. When asked if that served as a guarantee, he replied yes.

The Sixers beat the Hornets in January with ball pressure that resulted in 17 turnovers. Monday, the Hornets committed 15 turnovers, resulting in 22 Sixers points.

Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 29 points. Dario Saric scored 18 for the Sixers.

Three who mattered

Walker: He broke out of a five-game shooting slump.

Saric: He’s been impactful off the Sixers’ bench of late.

Robert Covington: He was a tough cover throughout this game for Philadelphia.

Observations

▪  Center Cody Zeller was again out with the quad injury that has cost him eight of the past nine games. Frank Kaminsky made his 10th start of the season, replacing Zeller.

▪  The Hornets got a good effort out of the bench. The reserves scored 21 first-half points on eight-of-13 shooting.

▪  Kaminsky missed all seven of his first-half shots. Sixers center Nerlens Noel blocked his layup attempt early in the game.

▪  The Hornets signed former Development League players Ray McCallum and Mike Tobey to a second round of 10-day contracts. The Hornets would have to sign either one for the rest of the season to retain him beyond this next contract.

▪  Noel got the start for the Sixers, with fellow centers Embiid and Okafor back in Philadelphia. Former Duke star Okafor has been the subject of trade discussions.

Worth mentioning

▪  This was the last Hornets home game until March 6. They will play the next seven on the road.

▪  Walker, who has been in a five-game slump, made five of his first nine shots.

▪  Hornets center Miles Plumlee suffered a strained right calf during the second half.

Report card

C- OFFENSE: At least Walker got his shot back. Front-court starters Kaminsky and Marvin Williams struggled.

F DEFENSE: The Hornets let the 76ers get to 100 points with five minutes left.

C- COACHING: They are now on the road for a long, long time.

This story was originally published February 13, 2017 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Turnover-prone Charlotte Hornets fall to the Philadelphia 76ers."