Philadelphia, PA — Saturday night marked the home opener for the Philadelphia 76ers, who were riding an early-season high after a thrilling win against the Celtics in Boston.
Welcoming in a young, hungry Charlotte Hornets squad, the Sixers had a true test defensively against an offense that, like Philadelphia, thrives pushing the ball in transition.
The early results were pretty favorable for the Sixers, particularly the play of Joel Embiid. While he wasn't exactly the Embiid of old, his jump shot at least resembled his pre-injury form.
Embiid knocked down three shots from range in little more than eight minutes on the court. By the half, Embiid had 16 points in 15 minutes played. There will likely be no shortage of comments about how many shots Embiid took from outside—six—compared to how few rebounds he managed in the game—two—but this is, in all likelihood, closer to what the new Joel Embiid will look like moving forward.
He won't shoot 50% from three every night, nor will he only collect two rebounds, but those demanding a dominant inside presence are unlikely to get what they want.
Embiid met his 20-minute limit early in the third quarter, and the rest was left to the Sixers' dynamic trio of guards.
Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe were not the automatic offensive threats they were against Boston, but the pair still had an impact on the game in a number of ways. Maxey finished with 28 points, six rebounds, and nine assists, while Edgecombe added 15 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals.
Quentin Grimes added a nice scoring boost with 24 points on the night, looking far more comfortable in his second game of the season.
Despite those contributions, the Sixers struggled to contain Charlotte's explosive offense, allowing 38 third-quarter points and soon finding themselves facing a heavy deficit at home.
Sixers head coach Nick Nurse opted to insert Justin Edwards and Andre Drummond for an infusion of energy, and the move looked to pay off for Philadelphia. Edwards' energy on the perimeter was matched by Drummond's in the post, and the Sixers soon found themselves back in the game, though they faced an uphill battle.
Kelly Oubre also saw far more success in the second half, scoring 16 of his 19 points in the second half.
With two and a half minutes left, the Sixers suddenly found themselves down by just one and forcing the Hornets to take a timeout. The newly named Xfinity Mobile Arena erupted as Andre Drummond posterized Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel on a putback to take the lead.
Battling down to the final second, it was Quentin Grimes who hit a larger-than-life three to put the Sixers up by three over the Hornets, who failed to muster a last-second comeback.
For the second time in as many games this season, the Sixers fought hard to come back and take the win, this time by a final score of 125-121.
