Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andre Drummond were tired of the disrespect.
The Philadelphia 76ers trailed the Charlotte Hornets by 11 points in the third quarter and were in desperate need of a spark. Oubre and Drummond were happy to help as Oubre worked his way to the rim while Drummond dominated the glass.
That lift was all the 76ers needed and before anyone could glance at the Jumbotron, the score was at 119 points. Philadelphia’s backcourt took control from there, but it was the lift the two veterans provided that allowed the 76ers to win their second straight game.
The 76ers (2-0) outlasted the Hornets (1-1) 125-121 on Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena. While Philadelphia didn’t have a standout individual performance, the backcourt continued to shine, Joel Embiid started to look like himself, and the depth showed up when it mattered most.
Choose your poison
The variety in Philadelphia’s backfield continues to show its worth as Tyrese Maxey, Quentin Grimes and VJ Edgecombe combined for 67 points.
Maxey led the 76ers in scoring with 28 points on 55.4% true shooting, nine assists and six rebounds. He started the evening hot, trailing by twelve points on four three-pointers. Maxey took advantage of Philadelphia’s transition play and dribble handoffs with Embiid. However, as those fastbreak opportunities diminished, he began pressing, resulting in low-percentage shots.
Grimes wasn’t far behind with 24 points on 7-14 shooting from the field and 5-8 accuracy from beyond the arc. He shot threes through an effective mix of pull-up threes off ball-screens and spot-up triples while holding up well defensively. Grimes drilled an off-the-catch trifecta to give Philadelphia the decisive lead with 15 seconds left in the game.
Edgecombe scored 15 points on 6-15 shooting, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals in his official home debut. While his efficiency was undesirable, Edgecombe’s constant pressure off the dribble and defensive play provided value. He needs to work on his shot selection off the dribble, but he has shown a lot in two games on both sides of the pitch.
Redemption was in the air
It took less than two minutes for Embiid to top the four points he scored in Philadelphia’s 117-116 win over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. He finished with 20 points on 75.8% true shooting, four assists and two steals in 20 minutes.
Embiid’s night was over midway through the third quarter due to his minutes limitation. He executed a lot of pick-and-pops, found success against Ryan Kalkbrenner from the point of attack and was more skilled defensively. His recovery will be a process, no pun intended, so highs and lows are inevitable.
With Embiid sidelined for most of the second half, Nick Nurse relied on Andre Drummond and he did not disappoint. He finished with seven points on 3-6 shooting from the field, 13 rebounds and two steals. Drummond chased the boards like he did long ago with the Detroit Pistons and held his ground as would be expected while defending in space.
After logging zero minutes against Boston, Justin Edwards scored nine points on 3-5 shooting from three. He hit spot-up triples and looked like the player many fans were high on during last season’s battle in Philadelphia.
Other things
Oubre recorded 16 of his 19 points in the second half, which was crucial when Philadelphia’s offense dried up in the third quarter. His aggressiveness off the dribble kept the 76ers within striking distance and spearheaded their double-digit comeback. Sometimes it’s as simple as that.
Adem Bona recorded zero rebounds in 12 minutes; that simply cannot happen.
LaMelo Ball and Collin Sexton each topped 20 points and took apart the 76ers’ rushing defense. Philadelphia was unable to defend against the dribble, allowing the Hornets to create advantages. Charlotte had 16 threes, many of which were too late to close in Philadelphia.
The 76ers’ first two wins weren’t pretty, but they were able to come from behind both times, which is indicative of the culture being built. Philadelphia is creating a quality foundation that will only grow when Paul George, Jared McCain and Trendon Watford return.
The 76ers stay home to face the Orlando Magic (1-2) on Monday, October 27 at 7:00 PM EST.
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