THE Philadelphia 76ers will look to end a two-game losing streak when they host the Charlotte Frelons Saturday evening.
After losing 106-79 to the New York Knicks on Tuesday, the Sixers lost 114-105 to the Milwaukee Bucks two days later.
Tyrese Maxey led the Sixers (36-30) with 30 points against the Bucks, while Tobias Harris added 15, Cameron Payne 13 and Kyle Lowry 12.
The Sixers continued to struggle without reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid, especially on the defensive end. They will also enter Saturday’s game without injured De’Anthony Melton (back) and Robert Covington (knee). Harris is questionable with a sprained right ankle.
“I think we’re pretty close,” Maxey said of finding a rhythm without Embiid. “I mean, that game, we played 3 1/2 really good quarters. The whole stretch, I didn’t make a shot. We tried to make a few stops, and the ball hasn’t bounced our way a few times, but I think we’re doing a good job. Coach (Nick) Nurse and them, they really put a good system in place from when the big guy is out , and I think the guys are really buying into it.
The Sixers are 10-22 without Embiid this season. They are trending toward a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in portion of the playoffs.
And they’re just trying to stay positive.
“I think the effort was really good,” Nurse said after the latest defeat. “I think, obviously, I think you could see schematically defensively, we were doing a lot of things that we wanted to do. Especially, in the first half, we turned them over a lot. That’s probably the difference in the game, we “We didn’t. I was able to get as many turnovers in the second half, although there probably should have been a few more.”
The Hornets will arrive in Philadelphia after a 107-96 home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
It was the Hornets’ 50th loss of the season with 15 games remaining.
Charlotte (17-50) was led by Vasilije Micic with 21 points. Grant Williams added 20 and Miles Bridges had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Miller scored 14 points, Tre Mann contributed 12 and Nick Richards pulled down 15 rebounds.
Yet the result was yet another defeat in a season filled with defeats and injuries.
The Hornets were missing several key injured players, including LaMelo Ball, Seth Curry, Cody Martin, Bryce McGowens and Mark Williams.
The Hornets shot 37.2 percent from the field, including 6 of 37 from 3-point range.
“Sometimes when you miss three or four, you have to run the ball hard and play harder, trying to put something more in the basket,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “Even in the second half we shot the ball really poorly.”
The lack of interior shots has been a problem for much of the season. This continued against the Suns.
“When the ball doesn’t go in the basket, there’s a lot of gray areas,” Clifford said. “When you’ve missed four or five jumpers in a row, without putting anything in the basket, it’s a good idea to put something in the basket.”
Micic was a bright spot, however, with his second straight game of at least 20 points. He was acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder in February.
“I think he’s getting more and more comfortable and more and more confident,” Clifford said.
–Field level media
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