Doc Rivers, 76ers Happy to Avoid Upset vs. Hornets

Doc Rivers and the 76ers were satisfied with the way they took care of business against the Hornets on Friday.

Nobody thought the Philadelphia 76ers would come up short on the road against the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night. 

But in the NBA, you never really know what can happen on any given night.

On paper, the Sixers are the much better team. Going into Friday’s game, they held a 46-22 record, which places them third in the Eastern Conference.

As for the Hornets, they were 22-49, a clearly struggling team that also missed multiple key players.

The Sixers were the only team with something to lose on Friday night. A win probably felt guaranteed, but they couldn’t slip into that trap.

Charlotte put up a good fight in the first quarter, but the Sixers settled in and found double-digit separation in the second quarter. Once the third quarter approached, everything was smooth sailing for the Sixers, who handled their business and got their key players additional rest.

“I thought it was a professional win,” Doc Rivers told reporters on Friday night. “We came out, we showed up, we played. They’re struggling a little bit, and we just attacked. Having a game tomorrow, it’s just good to get the game over with and can be healthy. The low-minute thing is not as important as people think. You still played, so you’re still gonna have that fatigue, but it was good. I just liked how we played defensively, and I loved how we moved the ball.”

Every starter not named James Harden played fewer than 30 minutes on Friday. Considering the Sixers are set to play again on Saturday night in the second matchup of a back-to-back, getting a quarter off could be beneficial for the team considering the tough stretch they’ve been on.

Entering March, the Sixers knew they were facing a tough test. Since the beginning of the month, the Sixers have won all but one of their nine games. With a 121-82 win over Charlotte on Friday, the Sixers increased their win streak to seven in a row, which is currently the longest active win streak in the league.

The Sixers will face similar circumstances on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers as they attempt to make it eight wins in a row. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.