abcnews
In a surprising turn, the Philadelphia 76ers demonstrated they can win even without superstars LeBron James and Joel Embiid, as Tyrese Maxey's 38-point performance propelled them to a 109-104 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in front of a sellout crowd of 19,533 at the Spectrum Center on Saturday night.
Anfernee Simons provided a significant boost off the bench with 19 points, while Jaylen Brown, who was a game-time decision, started and added 16 points for Philadelphia. The 76ers rested both James and Embiid after an intense NBA Cup win over the New York Knicks the previous night.
Charlotte's Grayson Allen caught fire from beyond the arc, scoring 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range, and Brandon Miller contributed 24 points with five 3-pointers. The Hornets seemed to seize momentum when Miller blocked V.J. Edgecombe's layup with five minutes remaining and then delivered a perfect bounce pass to Moussa Diabate for a dunk, putting Charlotte ahead 97-90.
However, Philadelphia clawed back with two baskets from Simons and took the lead for good on a pair of free throws by Maxey with 1:22 left. Edgecombe's 3-pointer from the left wing extended the advantage to 105-101. Charlotte's Sion James missed an uncontested layup with 24 seconds remaining, and Maxey sank two free throws to push the lead to six. Miller cut the deficit in half with seven seconds left, but Brown sealed the game with two free throws at the 5.2-second mark.
The 76ers shot 40% from beyond the arc to compensate for a rough 15-of-23 performance from the foul line. The Hornets, also playing the second night of a back-to-back, remained without point guard Coby White (calf) and shooting guard Kon Knueppel (hamstring).
Key Analysis
This victory underscores the 76ers' depth and resilience, as they managed to overcome the absence of two marquee players in James and Embiid. Maxey's scoring outburst and Simons' bench production were crucial in countering Charlotte's hot shooting from deep. The Hornets, despite a strong effort from Allen and Miller, couldn't capitalize on their late lead and fell short in crunch time. Philadelphia's ability to execute down the stretch, particularly at the free-throw line, proved decisive.
The 76ers will look to carry this momentum into their next game against Chicago on Monday night, while the Hornets aim to bounce back when they host Detroit on Monday night.
Originally reported by abcnews.