Red Hot Hornets Welcome Maxey, Embiid, 76ers to Charlotte For Potential Play-In Preview

How many times can I sat that the Charlotte Hornets are preparing for their biggest game of the season before I start sounding like a lunatic?

Well, I'm going back to the well again today.

After the Miami Heat lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, the Hornets vaulted into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with just one game separating them from the Philadelphia 76ers in seventh. A win in Saturday night's game against the Sixers will win the clinch the season tiebreaker over Philly for the Hornets and put them in pole position to earn the most favorable spot in the East's Play-In Tournament.

Big enough for you?

If it's not for you, it is big enough for Philadelphia to welcome two of their most important players back into the lineup after long-term injury rehabilitations. All signs are pointing to potential All-NBA point guard Tyrese Maxey and talented swingman Kelly Oubre making their returns tonight.

Injury Report

Charlotte Hornets: OUT Tidjane Salaün (Calf)

Philadelphia 76ers: OUT Johni Broome (Knee) QUESTIONABLE Tyrese Maxey (Finger), Kelly Oubre (Elbow)

How the Hornets Pull of the Win

Dominate the offensive glass.

Charlotte's prowess on the boards, led by the unrelenting efforts of Moussa Diabaté, has been well-chronicled. Even though they don't start a player taller than 6'9", the Hornets are the third-best team in the NBA in terms of offensive rebounding percentage, pulling down 34.2% of their misses on the season.

In typical Hornets fashion, those offensive rebounds lead to a barrage of three-point attempts.

The Charlotte Hornets attempt (435) and make (168) the most three-point shots on second-chance opportunities.

Despite their strong offensive rebounding, they rank just 12th in dunks and have the 10th fewest layups on second chances. pic.twitter.com/5OcH6k0kKR
— Richie (@richierandall) March 28, 2026

The Sixers' biggest weaknesses are in direct contract to te Hornets' strengths.

Philadelphia surrenders the fourth most offensive rebounds in the NBA, allowing opposing teams to grab 30.9% of their misses. They are also bottom ten in the league in terms of corner three-point attempts allowed and percentage made.

The Hornets can pick on the weak points of Nick Nurse's squad without deviating from their normal game plan, and although there is an argument that Philadelphia is the more talented team in this matchup, Charlotte does have an clear advantage in terms of style.

Key Matchup: Moussa Diabaté and Ryan Kalkbrenner vs. Joel Embiid

When Joel Embiid is at his best there's no stopping him.

The former MVP has missed a significant number of games this season, but when he's played, he's still produced like one of the best players in the Association. Embiid is averaging 26.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, slightly below his career averages, but he's still talented enough to absolutely wreck a game even with a clearly hampered physical profile.

Charlotte will likely throw a number of different looks at Embiid, but the onus will be on Diabate and Kalkbrenner to slow him down in the majority of one-on-one situations.

My prediction is that the Hornets attempt to turn Embiid into a passer by throwing double teams at him in the post, forcing a rusty Tyrese Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, and Paul George to punish those traps with long-range jumpers.

Projected Starting Lineups

Philadelphia 76ers	Charlotte Hornets
Tyrese Maxey	LaMelo Ball
VJ Edgecombe	Kon Knueppel
Paul George	Brandon Miller
Dominick Barlow	Miles Bridges
Joel Embiid	Moussa Diabate

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets