by 3 observations after George Maxey duo score 73 points, Sixers beat Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Sixers’ two available stars scored 73 points on Monday night.
The Paul George-Tyrese Maxey pair led the team to a 121-108 victory over the Hornets at the Spectrum Center.
As a Sixer, George scored his most points ever with 33 on 13-for-20 shooting. He also had eight assists, five rebounds and two steals.
Maxey scored 40 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals.
Monday’s result improved the Sixers to 8-16 and dropped Charlotte to 7-19. The Hornets will look to avoid an 0-4 season when they face the Sixers again on Friday in Philadelphia.
The Sixers had four players out with injuries: Joel Embiid (right sinus fracture), Jared McCain (left lateral meniscus tear), Caleb Martin (right shoulder impingement) and Adem Bona (left knee tendinopathy).
Embiid will be reevaluated in about a week, a Sixers official said Monday. Head coach Nick Nurse told reporters before the game that Embiid’s sinus fracture was “not nearly as serious” as the two orbital fractures he suffered during his NBA career.
Here are observations from the Sixers’ win in Charlotte:
George and Maxey are happy to get all the buckets
The Sixers didn’t start out like a team discouraged by all the recent negative news on the injury front. Maxey’s second three-pointer gave them a 15-8 lead.
Maxey drilled three deep jumpers in a row toward the end of the second quarter. With a performance of 6 for 12 from distance, he increased his season average from 30.3 to 31.7.
George was great early on, scoring 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting and three assists in the first quarter. Both he and Maxey set a strong tone, bringing the aggression and quicker pace needed without Embiid. Everyone was happy to give themselves over to the star duo. At one point in the first quarter, the George-Maxey pair recorded 24 straight Sixers points.
George scored with his characteristic smooth variety. He made a post-up jumper over Josh Green, a pull-up three-pointer and a closely guarded fadeaway jumper with 19.2 seconds left in the first quarter. George’s fourth triple of the night moved him past Jason Terry for 10th place on the NBA’s all-time made three-pointers list.
Sixers have to work around foul trouble
The Sixers started Andre Drummond at center.
On paper, it was a solid matchup for Drummond against Mark Williams and Nick Richards, both of whom are 7-foot, traditional, non-shooting centers. However, both Drummond and Guerschon Yabusele had foul trouble in the first half.
Drummond still managed to grab ten rebounds in the first half, but the Sixers’ foul prevented them from opening the game. Drummond was called for his third foul with 3:07 left in the second quarter when he tackled Richards. KJ Martin fouled Brandon Miller on a three-point shot 13 seconds into the third quarter. The Sixers also wasted a lot of possessions on a night with 20 turnovers.
The team’s second unit was also not a strength at all in the first half. Eric Gordon returned to the team’s rotation for the first time since November 30 and missed two three-point attempts. The Sixers’ defense was noticeably leakier when Gordon and Kyle Lowry shared the floor. All told, Charlotte scored the first 15 bench points of the game.
Oubre is crucial to fending off Hornets
In addition to his scoring output — 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting — Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed plenty of useful role-player moments, including a nifty drop-off pass to Drummond for a dunk early in the third quarter.
Oubre had four assists, two steals and a block in Charlotte. He’s been reliably productive of late for a Sixers team that hasn’t been counted on for much. Monday’s performance was Oubre’s 10th straight game with double-digit points. He finished one rebound shy of his fourth straight double-digit rebound game.
George and Maxey continued to be the Sixers’ go-to guys in the third quarter, but they didn’t have to do everything. Gordon eventually made the bench’s first field goal and added two more three-pointers shortly after. The Sixers went up 21 points on two free throws from Ricky Council IV with 1:46 left in the third quarter.
The Hornets stormed back and the Sixers weren’t sharp at all late in the third and early in the fourth quarter. Drummond considered taking a wide-open three-pointer, decided to let it fly and missed. Martin committed his fifth foul on an illegal screen in the backcourt. Josh Green converted a three-pointer that cut Charlotte’s deficit to 95-89.
Oubre grabbed the run with a hard, timely mid-range jumper. He scored the Sixers’ first four points of the fourth quarter and hit a big three-pointer on a pick-and-pop with George.
A George three seconds after an Oubre offensive board seemed to really pop the Hornets’ comeback balloon. The next time, Maxey scored a layup. Late free throws allowed him to reach the 40-point mark for the second time this season.
He logged 40 minutes in Charlotte on Monday night, as did George and Oubre.
