After a Western Conference road trip that saw the Philadelphia 76ers go 0-3 and pick up an additional injury, this time to star Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers, at last, picked up their second win of the season after defeating the battered and bruised Charlotte Hornets.
In Paul George‘s first official win as a Sixer, Philadelphia did all they could to make the matchup interesting.
A molasses-slow first quarter finished with a score of 16-15 in the Sixers’ favor. From there, the speed picked up a touch, but it was a night of sloppiness for both sides. A literal slap in the face of Paul George led to some concern as he spent some time down on the court before eventually making his way to the bench, but much to the relief of Sixers fans, George was able to return the very next play.
As the game progressed, Philly began to find their spark on the backs of two sources that, at the beginning of the season, would have been a tremendous surprise.
The Sixers have found their spark
For the second consecutive game, Guerschon Yabusele and rookie Jared McCain led the way for the Sixers in scoring. With 14 and 18, respectively, in Friday night’s loss to the Lakers and now 20 and 27 against the Hornets, the unsung tandem of the player the NBA seemingly forgot and an aspiring rookie has once again lifted this Sixers team, this time to victory.
Yabusele’s third quarter lifted with 10 points, while McCain scored 23 of his 27 in the second half, including overtime. Coming into the season, Yabusele was seen as the team’s 14th man, while McCain was believed to simply be trade bait. Now, the two find themselves the heroes of the Sixers’ second-season win and in a position to have roles in the rotation even after Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey return.
Up next for the Sixers
Philadelphia will take Monday off before returning to the Center Tuesday night for a matchup against the New York Knicks. It will be a big night in Philly as it will not only be the team’s first matchup against New York since they were sent home by the Knicks last postseason, but it’s also not because it will be the start of the NBA’s in-season tournament.
No, the biggest story is the projected debut of Joel Embiid, who will have served his full three-game suspension for his altercation with a media member and is presumably healthy.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, and you can watch the game live on TNT or list live as always on 97.5 FM The Fanatic.
