The Philadelphia 76ers hung on late against the Charlotte Hornets on the road without Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers pushed their win streak to five games as the stars aligned without Joel Embiid. Ben Simmons scored 28 points on 11-12 from the field. J.J. Redick contributed 27 more, including 10 rebounds and 8 assists for his first career double-double. Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris chipped in 23 and 22, respectively while combining for 15 rebounds and 12 assists.
The game was close throughout the entire half with Philadelphia failing to pull away despite Kemba Walker only playing six minutes due to foul trouble. At the end of the first half, Philadelphia led 62-59.
Walker returned in the second half and was joined by Jeremy Lamb as the two combined for 32 second half points. A strong third quarter gave Charlotte an 89-85 lead.
The fourth quarter was back-and-forth. Butler nailed a three with 1:26 remaining to give Philadelphia a three-point lead. With the game narrowed to a one-point Philadelphia lead, James Ennis hit a corner three to push them up by four with 18 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, Ennis fouled Lamb on a three-point attempt. He made his free-throws and brought the game within one. A Harris missed free throw gave Lamb a chance to tie, but his floater bounced around the rim before falling to Harris for his redemption and game-icing free throws.
Without Embiid, the other four usual starters combined for 100 points in the most star-balanced game of this group’s tenure.
Tomorrow, Philadelphia will look to push their win streak to six games while also avoiding the season sweep to the hands of the Boston Celtics.