The Sixers face off once again against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets tonight. This is the second game of a two-game home and home in which both games are played in Philadelphia.
Tobias Harris and the Sixers smoked the Hornets in a 127-112 runaway victory. Harris finished with a team-high 24 points and nine rebounds.
The Sixers should be on their way to their fourth straight win as long as the team doesn’t fall victim to the classic “trap game”.
Injury Report
Hornets
P.J. Washington – Day-to-day (Thumb)
Cody Zeller – Out (Hand)
Sixers
Mike Scott – Out (Knee)
Furkan Korkmaz – Out (Left Adductor)
The Hornets will be without Cody Zeller once again and may be without their you power forward P.J. Washington. A healthy Hornets roster is already light on bigs, losing either or both of Zeller and Washington is a big issue for Charlotte.
The Sixers meanwhile continue life without Furkan Korkmaz and Mike Scott. Korkmaz has been out for a while now and his absence has been noticed though the team hasn’t lost since his last game.
Scott, also out tonight, missed Saturday’s game due to a knee contusion suffered against the Magic on Thursday. Without Scott, the Sixers are light at power forward so expect Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons to play the majority of time at the four.
Keys To The Game
Play Smart
The Sixers may have demolished the Hornets on Saturday but they also managed to turn the ball over 21 times. Good teams just don’t turn the ball over like that especially not against a team like Charlotte.
It wasn’t just one guilty party either, Embiid, Harris, and Simmons all had four or more turnovers. As the leaders and “stars”, they need to set the tone and lead by example.
It’s also up to Doc Rivers to coach up his team. stamp it into their head that taking care of the ball is a priority or they could be in danger of dropping what should be an easy win.
“Feed The Pig”
Taking care of the rock is a must but as far as offensive strategy is concerned, it starts and ends with Joel Embiid.
Between the injuries the Hornets are facing and the lack of big man talent they have in general, Joel Embiid should treat this game like he’s at a buffet.
Doc Rivers should be screaming for his team to “feed the pig” demanding that Embiid get the ball in the paint and cook. With Embiid in the paint, he can obviously overcome the weak defense from Charlotte and kick out to the plethora of shooters suddenly on the roster.
The Sixers should have this game in the bag and another big game from Joel Embiid could go a long way to securing that.
Sixers Game Time
The Sixers head back to the court for a 7:00 PM EST Tip-Off. You can watch the game either on NBC Sports Philadelphia or NBA League Pass. You can also listen live as always at 97.5 The Fanatic FM.
The game should be fun and lax but you still never know if and when the Sixers will play down to their opponents.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
