Hornets Snap Five Year Winless Drought vs 76ers
For the first time in 17 meetings, the Charlotte Hornets have a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. The Hornets put an end to their 16-game losing skid to the Sixers on Wednesday night with a 109-98 road victory.
The offense was in a rhythm from the get-go for the Hornets as they found the bottom of the net on eight of their first eleven shots from the field. However, no one was feeling it more than Gordon Hayward who had 22 first half points on a perfect 9/9 shooting, including making all four shots from beyond the arc.
"Some nights it's Gordon. Some nights it's Terry, Melo, Miles, P.J. You know? It comes in different forms. Tonight, Gordon really sustained us especially in the first half. I thought he was fantastic. He got out in transition number one but I thought he got some early ones off of steals that got him going. I thought the defensive aggression on the defensive end really set the tone for his offensive game throughout the 48 minutes."
Surprisingly, the Hornets owned both the paint (34-16) and the glass (25-16) in the first half despite Joel Embiid pouring in 16 points. In addition to that, Charlotte did a good job in transition with 18 fast break points. After 24 minutes of play, the Hornets held a 64-50 advantage.
Two minutes into the third quarter, the Hornets extended their lead out to 20, forcing Doc Rivers to call a timeout. The Sixers responded with a 15-2 run to bring the deficit back to seven, 72-65. Despite the surge, Charlotte maintained the lead heading into the fourth quarter of play.
Furkan Korkmaz hit a three to open up things in the fourth, trimming the lead to just six. A Cody Martin corner three and a LaMelo Ball 20-foot floater pushed it quickly back to eleven, which is where it would stay for the remainder of the night. Every time the Sixers got a bucket, the Hornets would match it on the other end. Down 12 with a minute to go, Doc Rivers called timeout and emptied the bench, waving the white flag shockingly a little earlier than anticipated.
The Hornets will be back in action Friday night at home as they play host to the Orlando Magic. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. EST.
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