Hornets Hope to Add Onto Philadelphia's Recent Woes

Hornets look to give the 76ers a third consecutive loss

Injury Report:

Hornets: OUT Lamelo Ball (Ankle), Mark Williams (Back) QUESTIONABLE: Brandon Miller.

76ers: OUT Joel Embiid (Knee), De'Anthony Melton (back), Robert Covington (Knee), Probable Kenyon Martin Jr. (ankle)

Game Preview

After the trade deadline, the Hornets were flying high. However, the Milwaukee Bucks managed to swat them back down to earth. Having now lost both games in its most recent back-to-back series, Charlotte will now hope to rebound against the slumping 76ers. 

Only winning three out of their last 10 games, Philadelphia is desperately missing the presence of Joel Embiid. While he has been rumored for a potential late season return, he is in no position to help his team out here tonight. Simply put, this is a battle between two faltering teams who are both lacking their biggest star at the moment. 

Currently ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference standings, the 76ers should be the more motivated team as they still have something to play for. However, even when Embiid was available, the Hornets managed to keep the game within reach. Expect the absence of the big man to produce a low-scoring, yet tightly contested affair, as that has been the trend for the Hornets as of late.

Key Matchup: Tyrese Maxey vs Tre Mann/Cody Martin

After drawing the nearly impossible assignment that is having to guard Damian Lillard in back-to-back games, Tre Mann and Cody Martin will get a step down in competition here. Tyrese Maxey has been doing his best to ignite Philadelphia's offense, averaging 26.2 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.9 rebounds in his 20 games without Embiid this season. However, he's not Lillard. With the Hornets having faced the more stiff competition as of late, it'll be interesting to see how that translates now that they find themselves with an easier matchup on paper. 

Projected Starting Fives

Position	Hornets	76ers
PG	Tre Mann	Tyrese Maxey
SG	Brandon Miller	Buddy Hield
SF	Cody Martin	Kelly Oubre Jr.
PF	Miles Bridges	Tobias Harris
C	Nick Richards	Paul Reed

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