Healthy Hornets look to turn the tides in matchup with Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, 76ers

Charlotte looks to get their swagger back with a banged-up Sixers squad in town.

Matt Alquiza | 2 Hours Ago

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Charlotte Hornets

Injury report

Hornets: QUESTIONABLE: LaMelo Ball (L Calf) OUT: Tre Mann (Back), Grant Williams (R ACL)

76ers: OUT: Joel Embiid (Face), Jared McCain (Knee), Adem Bona (Knee), Caleb Martin (Shoulder)

Game preview

Don't look now folks, but the Charlotte Hornets are entering a contest healthier than their opponent. Call it a Christmas miracle, call it a flash in the pan before somebody goes down again, call it whatever you'd like, it's a great thing for a team trying to claw their way out of an early season rut.

Even though Philadelphia is missing a bevy of key contributors, they still have a handful of players that give the Hornets fits. In the last matchup between these two squads, Paul George, Tyrese Maxey, and Kelly Oubre combined for 64 points and eleven threes against a hapless Hornets defense.

Most Hornets games have been slugfests due in part to their anemic offense, but with their ideal starting five healthy for the first time all season, I'm projecting a bit of a shootout in the Queen City. LaMelo Ball is an elite offense unto his own, and his insertion back into Charlotte's first group will give a boost to a unit that has been carried by Brandon Miller's second-year breakout. The sophomore swingman has amassed at least 20 points in each of his last 12 contests, and a matchup against the 76ers exactly what the doctor ordered for that streak to continue.

Key matchup: Paul George vs. Brandon Miller

In the aforementioned most recent contest between these two team's the fourth quarter turned into a one-on-one shot making masterclass between these two stars. Miller idolizes Paul George, his GOAT, and he took it to him and his teammates to the tune of 34 points and seven made threes. The Sixers wound up double and triple teaming Miller down the stretch in an attempt to cool off the heater he was on in a display of defensive desperation unlike anything a Charlotte player has faced in a long time.

Charlotte vs. Philadelphia is a strength on strength matchup (Maxey vs. Ball, George vs. Miller), and this one specifically will help decide the outcome. Miller's red-hot stretch has come with Ball sidelined, and if he can continue his torrid play alongside Melo in Charlotte's back court, the Hornets will become a tough team to handle when the possess the ball.

Projected starting lineups:

	Charlotte Hornets	Philadelphia 76ers
Point Guard	LaMelo Ball	Tyrese Maxey
Shooting Guard	Brandon Miller	Kelly Oubre
Small Forward	Josh Green	Paul George
Power Forward	Miles Bridges	Guerschon Yabusele
Center	Mark Williams	Andre Drummond