Not enough: Charlotte Hornets come up short in 97-89 home loss to Philadelphia 76ers
Terry Rozier stepped to the podium with the hood of a sweatshirt draped over his head.
The Charlotte Hornets’ point guard stared into the microphone in his hoodie. He pulled his hood forward, shielding his eyes even more.
“Um, it was a great effort. We fell short,” Rozier quipped to his first question following the Hornets’ 97-89 loss. He listened to another question, gave one more brief response, and it marked the end of his postgame news conference.
Charlotte (9-31) came up short against Philadelphia on Saturday night, but the undermanned Hornets battled.
Tied after the first quarter. Down one at the half. Leading after three. Saturday night’s game at Spectrum Center was right there for the Hornets, but reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid and the 76ers overcame all of that with a fourth-quarter push.
“I thought they played great — to be that shorthanded, playing against that team,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “These guys can’t play every minute of every quarter.”
Miles Bridges could, though.
He played all 40 minutes and was effective from behind the arc. Bridges, who led the team with 25 points, knocked down five 3-pointers, the most of any player Saturday.
Charlotte went on a 15-3 run to end the third quarter, capped by a Bridges triple. That gave it a four-point advantage heading to the fourth, and the 18,261 in the building were vibrant.
But the Hornets fell behind again early in the fourth quarter, and couldn’t overcome it.
With both Mark Williams and Nick Richards sidelined, PJ Washington, Nathan Mensah and JT Thor found themselves battling down low. Embiid had a 33-point night, but the Hornets’ depth was strong at an important time and kept the game competitive until the end.
“We played competitive,” said Bridges, who seemed to be in better spirits than Rozier. “I feel like we did a better job on [Embiid], just showing different faces, throwing bodies at him.”
Here’s what else you need to know from Saturday:
LaMelo Ball didn’t play
The star point guard, who scored 28 points Friday in Charlotte’s first win since Jan. 2, didn’t play in Saturday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers because of right ankle soreness. Ball had played in the Hornets’ past four games since returning from an ankle injury.
“We’ll know more (Sunday),” Clifford said before the game. “Hopefully he’ll be back by Monday, he’ll get treatment, he’ll feel better and it’ll just be a one-game thing.”
PJ Washington started at center with Nick Richards out
Richards, the Hornets’ backup center, missed both Friday and Saturday with a sprained ankle. This latest injury comes while Mark Williams, the usual starter, has been nursing a lower back contusion.
It meant 6-foot-7 power forward P.J. Washington had to man the post against six-time NBA All-Star Joel Embiid and the 76ers, who handed Charlotte its worst loss in franchise history last month.
Washington totaled nine points.
“We did a lot better job on (Embiid),” Clifford said postgame. “I mean, he’s a brutal guy to defend, and we did a lot better than we did last time.”
Miles Bridges got hot
Bridges, who finished with 19 points, had two 3-pointers on six attempts at half. Most of his shots beyond the arc came at a crucial time for the Hornets.
“I worked on that during the summer, just hitting open 3’s,” Bridges said. “I feel like that affects my game a little bit, because once people start closing out on me, I can get to the rim. ... I tried to impact the game defensively. Rebounding, that got me going, and getting my teammates involved.”
