Bridges, Miller Score 20+ PTS Again; Charlotte Allows Season-Low 97 PTS to NBA’s #5 Offense
While it was nowhere close to being the historic blowout that they endured the last time Philadelphia was in town, the result unfortunately remained the same for the Charlotte Hornets in a 97-89 loss on Saturday night.
Miles Bridges finished with team highs in points (25) and rebounds (11) for his sixth seasonal double-double in the loss and had five 3-pointers to move into eighth place on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard (now at 500). Brandon Miller added another 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, marking the first time in his NBA career he’s had consecutive 20-point games.
Without their top two centers in Mark Williams and Nick Richards for the second straight outing, the Hornets leaned on PJ Washington and Nathan Mensah at the five. They lurked behind Philadelphia for most of the first two-and-a-half quarters, then closed the third on a 15-3 run to go up four. But the pendulum quickly shifted back the 76ers’ way with a 13-2 stretch to open the final frame, making it a seven-point game with 8:26 remaining. Bridges drained a 3-pointer a minute later, but that was as close as the hosts would get from that point on.
“Our guys, I thought they played great,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards. “To be that shorthanded playing against that team. We end up with a lineup out there [early in the fourth quarter] that we’re just trying to get three, four minutes out of, and we went from two or three up to like 10 down. Everybody that played, played well, played hard. It’d be hard to find fault with an effort like that.”
Terry Rozier (19 points) was the only other Charlotte player to score in double figures. Even with the depleted frontcourt and Washington and Mensah both fouling out late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets still won the glass, 47-46, although had 17 turnovers for 22 Philadelphia points.
The NBA’s current leading scorer, Joel Embiid, got off to a fast start with 15 first-quarter points before eventually settling for a game-high 33 on 11-of-23 shooting (11-of-12 from the free-throw line). Like their counterparts, the 76ers only had three players record double-digit scoring performances – Tobias Harris had 21 (10 in the fourth quarter) and Tyrese Maxey notched 16. With the win, Philadelphia has now taken 21 of the past 23 meetings with Charlotte.
Added Bridges, “We played competitive. The main thing was just trying to limit Embiid. The last time he came in here [on Dec. 16], he had 42 [points] through three quarters. I felt like we did a better job on him, just showing him different faces, throwing bodies at him. Tobias came out and set the tone at the start of the fourth quarter and they just built off that.”
The Hornets will now embark on a short two-game road trip starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Jan. 22 beginning at 8 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast or WFNZ 92.7 FM.
2024-01-20
Despite Defeat, Hornets’ Defense Holds Strong Against Philly
Sam Perley, NBA.com/Hornets
Bridges, Miller Score 20+ PTS Again; Charlotte Allows Season-Low 97 PTS to NBA’s #5 Offense
While it was nowhere close to being the historic blowout that they endured the last time Philadelphia was in town, the result unfortunately remained the same for the Charlotte Hornets in a 97-89 loss on Saturday night.
Miles Bridges finished with team highs in points (25) and rebounds (11) for his sixth seasonal double-double in the loss and had five 3-pointers to move into eighth place on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard (now at 500). Brandon Miller added another 23 points on 8-of-17 shooting, marking the first time in his NBA career he’s had consecutive 20-point games.
Without their top two centers in Mark Williams and Nick Richards for the second straight outing, the Hornets leaned on PJ Washington and Nathan Mensah at the five. They lurked behind Philadelphia for most of the first two-and-a-half quarters, then closed the third on a 15-3 run to go up four. But the pendulum quickly shifted back the 76ers’ way with a 13-2 stretch to open the final frame, making it a seven-point game with 8:26 remaining. Bridges drained a 3-pointer a minute later, but that was as close as the hosts would get from that point on.
“Our guys, I thought they played great,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford afterwards. “To be that shorthanded playing against that team. We end up with a lineup out there [early in the fourth quarter] that we’re just trying to get three, four minutes out of, and we went from two or three up to like 10 down. Everybody that played, played well, played hard. It’d be hard to find fault with an effort like that.”
Terry Rozier (19 points) was the only other Charlotte player to score in double figures. Even with the depleted frontcourt and Washington and Mensah both fouling out late in the fourth quarter, the Hornets still won the glass, 47-46, although had 17 turnovers for 22 Philadelphia points.
The NBA’s current leading scorer, Joel Embiid, got off to a fast start with 15 first-quarter points before eventually settling for a game-high 33 on 11-of-23 shooting (11-of-12 from the free-throw line). Like their counterparts, the 76ers only had three players record double-digit scoring performances – Tobias Harris had 21 (10 in the fourth quarter) and Tyrese Maxey notched 16. With the win, Philadelphia has now taken 21 of the past 23 meetings with Charlotte.
Added Bridges, “We played competitive. The main thing was just trying to limit Embiid. The last time he came in here [on Dec. 16], he had 42 [points] through three quarters. I felt like we did a better job on him, just showing him different faces, throwing bodies at him. Tobias came out and set the tone at the start of the fourth quarter and they just built off that.”
The Hornets will now embark on a short two-game road trip starting with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, Jan. 22 beginning at 8 PM ET. Follow all the action on Bally Sports Southeast or WFNZ 92.7 FM.