CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Charlotte Hornets let a late seven-point edge slip away Saturday night and lost 109-104 to a Philadelphia 76ers team playing without LeBron James and Joel Embiid.
Philadelphia sat both stars because it was playing for a second straight night. The team listed Embiid as out for management of a right foot plantar fascia problem and James for lower back and sciatica management, a day after the two helped Philadelphia edge New York 98-93 in NBA Cup play.
Charlotte looked in control with about five minutes to play. Brandon Miller blocked a layup try by V.J. Edgecombe and then found Moussa Diabate with a bounce pass for a dunk that made it 97-90. The 76ers answered, and Tyrese Maxey hit two free throws with 1:22 remaining to put Philadelphia ahead for good. A 3-pointer by Edgecombe stretched the margin to 105-101, and a missed open layup by Sion James in the final half minute hurt the Hornets. Jaylen Brown sealed it at the line with 5.2 seconds on the clock.
Maxey finished with 38 points, Anfernee Simons scored 19 off the bench and Brown, who returned after missing Friday, had 16. Grayson Allen led Charlotte with 27 points as a reserve, going 7 of 10 from beyond the arc, and Miller scored 24 with five 3-pointers. Miller came into the night averaging 25.6 points per game.
A sellout crowd of 19,533 filled Spectrum Center. Charlotte was also on short rest after losing in Washington to the Wizards on Friday, a loss that had dropped the Hornets to 3-3. Coby White and Kon Knueppel remain out, and neither has played yet this season.
Section: More Charlotte NC sports news
Charlotte sports business profiles
Filed under: Charlotte NC Sports News
