Sixers Vs. Hornets: Sixers Snap Three-Game Losing Streak, Score Season-High 144 Points

3 observations after Sixers explode for season-high 144 points, beat Hornets originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

How's that for a response?

After falling to a dismal loss Thursday in Detroit, the Sixers rebounded Saturday afternoon by crushing the Hornets at home.

The team snapped a three-game skid and improved to 47-30 with a 144-114 win at Wells Fargo Center over the Hornets.

Joel Embiid posted 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting, 14 rebounds and six assists. 

Tobias Harris scored 23 points and Tyrese Maxey had 19. James Harden recorded 12 points on 4-for-10 shooting, 13 assists and eight rebounds. 

With five games to go, the Sixers will start a three-game road trip Sunday night in Cleveland. Here are observations on their blowout win over the Hornets:

Open-floor fun

Sixers head coach Doc Rivers stressed before the game that his team needed to improve its pace and that better, more consistent tempo would be helpful for Harden.

The signs on that front Saturday were undeniably positive. Matisse Thybulle scored the Sixers’ first points on a fast-break dunk. And, though it wasn’t a byproduct of tremendous speed or an especially urgent approach, Harden got a first-quarter floater to fall after Harris grabbed a defensive rebound and the Sixers purposefully pushed the ball ahead. 

Harris hit three long-range jumpers within the first six minutes, the last of which gave the Sixers an 18-13 lead. Brisk pace and transition opportunities in general benefited Harris last year alongside Ben Simmons. With Harden, he’s been asked to fire more half-court, catch-and-shoot jumpers and grown more comfortable at that role over the last few weeks. His nine three-point attempts Saturday set a new season high. 

Harden casually turned the ball over attempting to loft a pass into Embiid at the high post against a Charlotte zone possession, but his decision-making was otherwise solid early. Though he took a pass-first approach, that mostly made sense given Embiid’s potency as a roller and the Hornets’ frequent defensive scrambling. Harden played the game’s first 10 minutes and 55 seconds with Embiid. 

The Sixers briefly used Maxey with four bench players at the start of the second quarter before inserting Harris. The 29-year-old forward then went into No. 1 option mode, hitting back-to-back turnaround post jumpers to put the Sixers ahead 36-28.

We'll see what Rivers settles on, but Maxey-Harris and Embiid-Harden duos are more promising when Harris accepts catch-and-shoot looks and also creates good shots for himself while the Sixers' All-Stars are off the floor. 

The Sixers’ pace was fantastic as they pulled away from the Hornets in a 45-point third quarter. Harden was part of the fun, scoring a transition layup and three-pointer, but Maxey starred. After a quiet first half in which he managed just two points, Maxey recorded 11 over the first seven minutes of the third. His speed is a serious weapon and the Sixers look so much more dangerous when the Kentucky product sprints ahead of the pack. 

Embiid starts off rolling 

Unlike the Sixers’ past three opponents, the Hornets initially opted against switching on Harden-Embiid pick-and-rolls.

Instead, with Mason Plumlee and Montrezl Harrell playing drop coverage, the Sixers had regular chances to get Embiid rolling downhill. He capitalized in one instance with a nice drop-off dish to Georges Niang for a layup. 

Of course, Embiid was also his usual self as a scorer and rebounder. He had 19 points and 11 boards by halftime. Throughout the afternoon, he bullied smaller defenders on switches and punished defensive breakdowns. 

The Sixers had several obvious miscommunications Saturday, though both Embiid and Harden made obvious efforts to work through issues as soon as possible. Following a botched pick-and-roll coverage involving Thybulle and Harris that led to two Miles Bridges free throws, Harden tried to get everyone on the same page during the ensuing free throws. 

Shortly after catching the ball at the nail and yelling at Thybulle about not being in the right spot, Embiid wrapped his arm around the third-year wing and talked things over as the two headed to the bench for a timeout. The team has plenty to clean up before the playoffs, but there’s nothing wrong with directly addressing problems; certainly better than pretending everything’s fine. 

Thybulle (12 points, three steals) played a great third quarter that included two corner threes. He tried for a third after surprising the Hornets with a steal in the back court. While the shot was short, Thybulle chased down his miss and saved the Sixers a possession, which the home fans loved. 

Sixers shrug off early turnovers 

The Sixers helped Charlotte out often in the first half. Seventeen minutes into the game, the Sixers had 10 turnovers and the Hornets had just two.

Most of the giveaways were unforced. Niang committed two early in the second quarter, throwing a telegraphed pass and stepping out of bounds when he caught the ball. Embiid tried to perfectly place a high-low feed to Thybulle and couldn’t pull it off. Back-to-back turnovers by Harden and Harris fueled Charlotte fast breaks, and an Isaiah Thomas three-pointer gave the Hornets 10 straight points immediately after they fell behind by 10. 

Thanks in part to three-pointers from Embiid and Harden, the Sixers entered the half with a five-point lead. That advantage kept ballooning during a third quarter in which confidence seemed contagious and just about every Sixers decision panned out. 

For the game, the Sixers shot 60.9 percent from the field and 48.8 percent from three-point range in setting a new season high for points. DeAndre Jordan went a perfect 4 for 4 from the floor, including three alley-oops courtesy of Harris.