NBA

Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets

· National Basketball Association
8-16, 5-7 Away
Final
121 - 108

7-19, 5-10 Home

Maxey scores 40, George adds 33 as 76ers top Hornets 121-108 to spoil Ball's return to the floor

Paul George moves to 10th all time on NBA's 3-point list

Maxey and George were combined for 12 for 21 on 3-pointers.

Kelly Oubre Jr. had 19 points, while Andre Drummond, starting in place of the injured Joel Embiid, chipped in with 15 rebounds for the 76ers (8-16).

Miles Bridges had 24 points and Nick Richards added 19 points off the bench to lead the Hornets.

Ball returned to action after missing the last seven games with a strained calf, finishing with 15 points and 11 assists in nearly 26 minutes.

Ball's return meant the Hornets (7-19) finally had their preseason projected starting five on the floor together for the first time this season. But that lasted a little more than three quarters as Brandon Miller sprained his left ankle with 8:20 remaining in the game on a drive to the basket and did not return.

Takeaways 76ers: With Joel Embiid out with a sinus fracture, George and Maxey had to carry the load. And they certainly did that, particularly in the first half when they combined for 44 of Philadelphia’s 54 points while shooting 9 of 16 from beyond the arc.

Hornets: The Hornets starting five struggled all night to get in sync and 76ers did an outstanding job of not letting Miller get free for open looks.

Key moment Shortly after the Hornets had cut the 76ers lead to five, George hit a short fadeaway jumper in the lane and drew a foul for a 3-point play, helping push the lead back to 13.

Key stat The Hornets shot 11 of 19 from the foul line.

Up next The 76ers host the Hornets on Friday night. The Hornets visit the Wizards on Thursday night.

Regular Season Series

PHI leads series 3-0

Matchup Prediction

Hornets: 67.7%
76ers: 32.3%
*According to ESPN's Basketball Power Index

Recent Plays

4th 0.0 End of Game 121 - 108
4th 0.0 End of the 4th Quarter 121 - 108
4th 20.1 Tyrese Maxey makes free throw 2 of 2 121 - 108
4th 20.1 Tyrese Maxey makes free throw 1 of 2 120 - 108
4th 20.1 Tidjane Salaun personal foul 119 - 108

Statistics

https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/phi.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originPHI https://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/teamlogos/nba/500/cha.png&h=100&scale=crop&w=100&location=originCHA
41-80 FG 42-83
51.2 Field Goal % 50.6
16-38 3PT 12-38
42.1 Three Point % 31.6
23-30 FT 12-21
76.7 Free Throw % 57.1
42 Rebounds 38
9 Offensive Rebounds 9
33 Defensive Rebounds 29
21 Assists 30
14 Steals 12
4 Blocks 8
20 Turnovers 20
0 Team Turnovers 0
20 Total Turnovers 20
0 Technical Fouls 1
0 Total Technical Fouls 1
0 Flagrant Fouls 0
23 Points Conceded Off Turnovers 24
21 Fast Break Points 13
48 Points in Paint 60
20 Fouls 27
21 Largest Lead 1

Game Information

Spectrum Center

Location: Charlotte, NC
Attendance: 14,677 · Capacity:

2024-25 Atlantic Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Boston 22 7 .759 - L1
New York 19 10 .655 3 W4
Brooklyn 11 18 .379 11 L2
Philadelphia 10 17 .370 11 W1
Toronto 7 23 .233 15.5 L8

2024-25 Southeast Standings

TEAM W L PCT GB STRK
Orlando 19 12 .613 - W2
Miami 14 13 .519 3 W1
Atlanta 15 15 .500 3.5 W1
Charlotte 7 22 .241 11 L5
Washington 4 23 .148 13 L2
Full Standings

NBA News

Stat Stories: Monday's standout NBA fantasy performances

Stat Stories: Monday's standout NBA fantasy performances

Check out some of the top performers in fantasy NBA from Monday, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.

NBA Christmas Day matchups that lived up to the hype

NBA Christmas Day matchups that lived up to the hype

The NBA on Christmas Day is one of the league's oldest traditions with the game's biggest stars often clashing on the holiday.

Breakout seasons for NBA players under age 25: Nine most improved

Breakout seasons for NBA players under age 25: Nine most improved

The 2021 No. 1 pick finally figuring it out? A bright spot on the middling Hawks? The stats behind the improvement of these under-25 NBA players stand out.

NBA betting: One bet to make on each of the awards races

NBA betting: One bet to make on each of the awards races

Andre Snellings and Eric Moody pinpoint one bet to make on each of the NBA awards. races.

NBA on Christmas Day: Key questions, top players, big matchups

NBA on Christmas Day: Key questions, top players, big matchups

LeBron vs. Steph and Wemby's Christmas Day debut -- our NBA insiders preview the five-game holiday slate by answering team's biggest questions.