76ers rally past Hornets 109-104 as Maxey scores 38 and Edgecombe hits the dagger
Tyrese Maxey scored 38 and VJ Edgecombe hit a late three as the shorthanded 76ers rallied to beat Charlotte 109-104 and move to 6-1.
VJ Edgecombe missed nine of his 13 shots in Charlotte on Saturday night and still made the one Philadelphia needed most. With the shot clock running down in the final minute, the second-year guard hit a three over Grayson Allen. The 76ers finished a fourth-quarter comeback and beat the Hornets 109-104 to improve to 6-1.
Philadelphia played the second night of a back-to-back without LeBron James and Joel Embiid, who both sat out, and without Dominick Barlow, who has a back injury. According to Liberty Ballers, Edgecombe's shot came during a 13-0 Sixers run. The Hornets were ahead 83-77 after three quarters and still led by six midway through the fourth. Edgecombe finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
Tyrese Maxey carried the offense from the opening tip. He had 19 points by halftime and finished with 38, a night after playing nearly 38 minutes against the Knicks, as AllCity PHLY noted. Charlotte came in with one of the league's weakest offenses but made 6 of 11 threes in the first quarter and led 37-27. AllCity PHLY wrote that the Sixers' offense later "devolving into a series of switch-hunting screens" before the guards took over again late.
Jaylen Brown returned to the lineup and missed his first five shots. He recovered to score 16 on 6-of-15 shooting and hit the two free throws with 5.2 seconds left that ended it. Anfernee Simons scored 19 off the bench and made five threes. Dean Wade started and had 10 assists, and he made several key defensive plays late, including a big block during the comeback. Adem Bona and Jabari Walker split the center minutes. Bona held Moussa Diabate to one defensive rebound in the first half, and Walker hit a three and scored on a putback in the fourth.
The result says more about Philadelphia's depth than its stars. With two regulars out and Brown still finding his rhythm, the Sixers relied on Maxey's scoring and a handful of plays from role players.
What it means for Monday against Chicago
The win was Philadelphia's third straight since the 106-93 home loss to Detroit, and it kept the team unbeaten on the road at 3-0. The Sixers have won at New York, Indiana and now Charlotte. They are 3-1 at home, where they beat Cleveland, Milwaukee and the Knicks. They have done it with modest margins. Through seven games they have scored 108.7 points a game and allowed 104.9, which works out to a margin of about four points a night. Five of the six wins came by six points or fewer.
Next up is the Chicago Bulls at home on Monday, November 2, on NBA League Pass. A day off between games should help a team that looked tired in the second half in Charlotte. The bigger questions are whether James and Embiid, who both rested Saturday, return for the Bulls, and how Brown's knee holds up after his first game back. Barlow remains out with his back injury. If the regulars return, Maxey's workload should drop and Bona will likely play fewer minutes than he did at center Saturday. Follow the 76ers' season on the team page.
