Hornets looking to snap five-game skid as reeling Sixers come to town
INJURY REPORT
Hornets: OUT - LaMelo Ball (Calf), Tre Mann (Back), Miles Bridges (Knee), Grant Williams (Knee); QUESTIONABLE - Mark Williams (Foot), DaQuan Jeffries (Hand).
76ers: OUT - Joel Embiid (Knee), Andre Drummond (Ankle); QUESTIONABLE - Kyle Lowry (Hip), Reggie Jackson (Knee), Caleb Martin (Back)
Game Preview
The Hornets are home again on Tuesday for the team’s final game in the NBA Cup’s group play stage, this time matching up against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Charlotte is winless over the first four games of the five-game homestand, in large part due to the exorbitant number of injuries to key players like LaMelo Ball, Tre Mann, and Miles Bridges, amongst others.
The 76ers have been perhaps the most disappointing team in the NBA this season to this point. A 47-win team last season, Philadelphia is just 4-14 on the year. Two of those wins have come in the last four games though, perhaps a sign of the team following through on Paul George’s promise to “change this around.”
Key Matchup - Brandon Miller vs His GOAT
Back in June 2023, Brandon Miller called Paul George his “GOAT (greatest of all-time) of Basketball.” Fast-forward to tonight’s matchup, and you have one of the brightest young stars in the league in Miller matching up against Paul George for the third time in his career. George holds the 2-0 lead in the head-to-head matchup thus far, but the Sixers are far from a sure bet to win any game right now.
Miller actually outscored and out-rebounded George in the matchup between the teams in November, though George out-assisted Miller by a 9-2 margin. Both players will be integral to their team’s chances of winning tonight, with LaMelo Ball and Joel Embiid both slated to miss the matchup. Whoever performs better may just be the deciding factor between these teams.
MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI
Score predictions for the Hornets' clash with the 76ers in the NBA Cup
Noted Hornets killer Joel Embiid will sit tonight vs. Charlotte in NBA Cup
Charles Lee is excited for Mark Williams' return to Hornets lineup
Hornets' Mark Williams ready to return, defies injury-prone label