Game Preview: Charlotte Hornets at Philadelphia 76ers

The Hornets look to snap a 4-game skid in Philly.

Injury Report

Knicks: OUT Maxey (foot)

Hornets: OUT Ball (ankle), Hayward (shoulder), Martin (knee), Smith Jr (knee), Williams (ankle)

Game Preview

The Hornets come into this one having lost four straight, which leaves them sitting at 7-19 on the season. Despite the losses building up with an undermanned team, the Hornets have showed grit and determination that is usually tough to come by from teams in their position. Kelly Oubre has especially been a bright spot for the Hornets this season, leading the team with 24.1 ppg over his last 10 games. Oubre's scoring will be quite necessary tonight, as the 76ers boast the 4th-best defensive rating in the NBA (109.5). 

Philadelphia comes into this game sitting at 13-12 on the season as they look to find their footing to rise back to the top of the Eastern Conference. Also missing their starting point guard in Tyrese Maxey, the Sixers have relied heavily on Embiid's scoring to be enough to get them over the hump while playing stellar defense as a team. 

Key Match-up: Mason Plumlee vs Joel Embiid

The key match-up to watch in this game will be the battle between the centers, as there is a clear advantage on paper for Philadelphia. Embiid is averaging 32.2 ppg, good for second in the NBA. He's gonna get his baskets, but it will be up to Plumlee and Charlotte's other bigs to make sure that doesn't get out of hand. While Embiid is a force on both ends of the court, the Sixers are the second-worst rebounding team in the NBA as a whole. Plumlee and company don't need to match Embiid's scoring tonight to win the matchup, but rather just make sure that their are sharp on the boards.

Position	Hornets	76ers
PG	Terry Rozier	Shake Milton
SG	Kelly Oubre	James Harden
SF	Jalen McDaniels	Tobias Harris
PF	PJ Washington	PJ Tucker
C	Mason Plumlee	Joel Embiid

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