3 76ers takeaways from OT win vs. Hornets

11/10/2024 09:59 PM

After recently falling into ownership of the worst record in the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers (2-7) played the Charlotte Hornets (4-6). The comfortable confines of their own home helped the Sixers play a little looser, though the game still came down to the wire. In the end, Philly pulled out the 107-105 overtime victory.

Joel Embiid served the final game of his suspension and Tyrese Maxey continued his recovery from a hamstring strain, leaving Paul George to make his home debut without another star on the heels of an unsuccessful road trip. The Hornets were shorthanded, too, missing starting forward Miles Bridges and top two centers Mark Williams and Nick Richards. Missing key players hasn't impeded Philly's opponents so far this season but the Sixers, despite letting up a 16-point lead, came out on top.

Here are three takeaways from a wild, wild one.

Paul George’s home debut…gets overshadowed 

76ers fans got to see George’s first game in Philly after only watching him in road venues during the preseason and the start of his regular season. The battle he faced to lead his team to a win in front of his new home fans was a steep one.

George sized up rookie forward Tidjane Salaun for his first bucket, driving right through him, and assisted Drummond on a lob dunk. The Sixers got him the ball off of handoffs, giving him some momentum and screening as he went into attack mode. He inadvertently got smacked in the face by Salaun on a pass but didn't sub out.

The Sixers not only got George the ball in motion but they gave him touches in the low post, allowing him to get in position with an empty side of the floor and go to work. He went to his fallaway jumper, hitting one and then missing another. His first shift of the game lasted almost 10 minutes.

The three-ball wasn't falling for PG, as his first five attempts came up empty. But he made up for it by looking more explosive off the dribble, converting on four of his first five shots inside the arc and his first two free throws. His ability to routinely hit tough shots is as effective as it is fun to watch.

George, who ended the game with 15 points, nine assists and two steals, wasn't the best California kid the Sixers had in this game. Jared McCain had an outstanding game, leading the team with 27 points, not just playing most of the second half but excelling. His contributions were all over this game.

Jared McCain BURIES the triple for the lead late in the 4th quarter

The No. 16 pick has a career-high of 23 points.pic.twitter.com/zVVu1nw9FQ

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 11, 2024

Offense! *clap, clap*

The Sixers were still brutally inefficient on offense but they managed to drag the Hornets down with them. The first quarter ended in a 16-15 advantage for Philly, one of greatest quarter-long scoring droughts of the 2024-25 NBA season to date.

Charlotte coughed the ball up 10 times in the opening frame — Martin had four of them, tying his career-high — but Philly shot so poorly (in addition to being pretty prone to turnovers themselves) that it hardly mattered. The Sixers shot 1-14 from deep in the first half and managed to take a one-point lead heading into the break.

The Sixers needed to make their money in the third quarter, where they have infamously gotten pummeled and seen close games become blowouts.

The offense clicked to open the half, getting six points in the first five minutes from Guerschon Yabusele and a few more buckets from George. The Sixers managed to get the ball into the interior and kept it moving from there, resulting in a few treys for Yabu as the quarter went on. McCain kept the flow going, scoring five quick points that gave Philly its first double-digit lead of the game and compiling 10 points in the period.

In the third quarter, the 76ers outscored the Hornets 30-21, shooting 60 percent from the field with seven assists on their 12 made field goals. It was an inspired showing that displayed why Yabusele and McCain deserve to play substantial minutes — not just because they managed to score but because the offense opens up way more with them.

LaMelo Ball made sure Charlotte stayed in it, leading a 10-2 run with his scorching deep-range shooting and expert playmaking out of the pick-and-roll. The Hornets cut a 16-point lead to one in under four minutes, shutting the Sixers’ offense down. In over six minutes of action, Philly managed to score four points.

Down the stretch, McCain came through with more clutch shooting from the field and the foul line. George set up Caleb Martin for a crucial corner three. Ball tied the game up with the most casual on-the-move corner three ever, giving the Sixers eight seconds to secure the win. George, with the ball on the right wing, just let a shot fly rather than trying to create something. Overtime.

The 76ers began overtime without George, going to Andre Drummond and then Kelly Oubre Jr. McCain got a layup to go after dusting Grant Williams, scooping the ball up and in, and got past Ball on a drive with a behind-the-back move. He missed the layup but it allowed Oubre to draw a foul on the follow-up, putting Philly back on top. McCain then turned around and clamped Ball up, forcing a shot-clock violation.

After some officiating chicanery, Philly ended up with the win.

Rotation variations

Nick Nurse appears to be in a major experimental phase with his rotation, which he should be given the team’s poor play so far. It has cost a regular rotation guy minutes in the past few games, with KJ Martin getting the bump from the top nine tonight.

Jeff Dowtin Jr. was the third substitute for Philly (behind Eric Gordon and Yabusele). Seeing the two-way player get in before Jared McCain or Reggie Jackson was surprising but refreshing, as he provides an infusion of intelligence and versatility. His defense at the point of attack and juice with the ball

Dowtin played in a three-guard lineup with McCain and Gordon but it worked, though playing such a long stint against a middling Hornets team while Ball rested certainly helped. Even when Ball did check back in, Philly’s zone defense kept him at bay. Dowtin always made sure that either he or Martin saw Ball coming and was ready to defend and ended his first shift of the game (eight minutes) with a team-best nine points.

Yabusele started the second half instead of Drummond. Nurse acknowledged how good the former has been and how bad the latter has been to begin the season and turned to the smaller, better option at center, the one that Philly was markedly better with through the first two quarters. Yabu scored a pair of buckets in the paint — where Drummond has come up empty far too often for a player of his size — by staying composed and patient. He ended the night with 20 points and eight rebounds.

McCain got an extended run in the second half, dazzling the home crowd with some beautiful buckets and a healthy dose of hustle, particularly on the defensive glass. He came in near the end of the third quarter but stayed all the way into overtime. This was as big of a showing of trust as the rookie could have gotten from Nurse.

At long last, Embiid will spring into action for the 76ers on Tuesday against the New York Knicks, their first NBA Cup game of the season.

The post 3 76ers takeaways from OT win vs. Hornets appeared first on ClutchPoints.