GRADES: Philadelphia 76ers 118, Charlotte Hornets 101
By Sam Coltrane
Your Philadelphia 76ers are in first place.
The Philadelphia 76ers continued their home dominance as they move to an NBA-best 6-1 record with a decisive victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Ben Simmons came out aggressive and Tobias Harris kept his pace fresh off winning Player of the Week. The duo combined for 13 points in the first quarter as Philadelphia went into the second with a 23-20 lead.
To start the second quarter, Charlotte took a five-point lead after a 16-8 run. Immediately after, Philadelphia went on their own 10-0 run. Charlotte would only score seven points in the final 7:53 of the first half.
Philadelphia ended up taking the last lead of the game with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter at 38-36 on a Danny Green 3-pointer from a Seth Curry assist.
The first half closed 58-43, Philadelphia.
The third quarter was an even affair. Harris continued to come out aggressive scoring seven more points in the quarter as Philadelphia grew their lead by one to make the score entering the fourth, 82-66.
Most of the fourth quarter was clean-up time, but Philadelphia’s younger players showed strong play, anyways.
Shake Milton’s shot struggled all night, but he still contributed with six assists. The other three main bench contributors showed a lot of what we’ve come to expect. Dwight Howard grabbed 13 rebounds showing he can lead a smaller unit on that end. Tyrese Maxey had a dynamic, offensive game scoring the ball while being predominately just that right now. Matisse Thybulle is limited offensively, but he is a near elite active defender.
The fourth did feature a scoring total of 71 points, but Philadelphia grew their lead by one again and won, 118-101.
PF. Philadelphia 76ers. TOBIAS HARRIS. A. <strong>30 mins | 22 pts | 5 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 10-16 FG | 2-5 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | +24 |</strong><p>Harris continued his string of strong performances. Player of the Week winner, Harris, was aggressive and efficient. He looks like a different player with a supreme confidence this year.</p>
A-. <strong>23 mins | 13 pts | 6 reb | 3 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 1 TO | 5-10 FG | 3-8 3PT| 0-0 FT | 1 PF | +21 |</strong><p>Green filled the box score and shot efficiently. He was active on defense. Green also continues to be a positive impact player with his motion and spacing. The lanes are much improved and performances like this only help that moving forward.</p>. SF. Philadelphia 76ers. DANNY GREEN
B+. <strong>25 mins | 11 pts | 1 reb | 2 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 2 TO | 4-7 FG | 2-2 3PT| 1-1 FT | 2 PF | +20 |</strong><p>Curry had a smaller, but similar type game to Green. Overall, he shot quite efficiently and his biggest impact is in his ability to hit open shots at any time. Perfect shooting from three will continue to open up the paint.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. SETH CURRY
BEN SIMMONS. B+. <strong>35 mins | 12 pts | 10 reb | 6 ast | 0 stl | 1 blk | 2 TO | 6-13 FG | 0-0 3PT| 0-0 FT | 2 PF | +7 |</strong><p>Simmons came out aggressively. He played a fairly typical Simmons game and helped bridge a lot of the latter minutes for the team in a runaway game. Many fans want to see Simmons constantly attacking, but his ability to allow the offense to run could prove most vital. It was another strong performance.</p>. PG. Philadelphia 76ers
B. <strong>27 mins | 10 pts | 2 reb | 6 ast | 1 stl | 0 blk | 0 TO | 3-11 FG | 1-6 3PT| 3-3 FT | 2 PF | +15 |</strong><p>Milton struggled with his shot. He was 1-6 from three. That didn’t stop him from dictating the offense. He chipped in with six assists and zero turnovers. Milton is good. He isn’t great. Nights when his shot aren’t falling, it’s important that he can still contribute.</p>. SG. Philadelphia 76ers. SHAKE MILTON
Charlotte will continue their road trip on Wednesday, Jan. 6, as they head south to face the Atlanta Hawks in a matchup of flashy, young point guards in LaMelo Ball and Trae Young, respectively.
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Philadelphia will aim to win their fifth straight on Wednesday as they face the Washington Wizards at home, again. The game is a rematch of the season opener, which Philadelphia won 113-107.