Hornets Fall to 76ers in 118-114 Nail-biter

Postgame coverage brought to you by Dilworth Neighborhood Grille

On Tuesday night the Charlotte Hornets faced a 76er lineup that did not include Joel Embiid. That proved to be a saving grace for the Hornets as they match the output of Philly's high-scoring offense for most of the game despite Ben Simmons' team leading 28 points, Jimmy Butler's 23 points and nine assists, and Tobias Harris' 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Former Duke sharpshooter J.J. Redick felt the comforts of home. He knocked down seven 3-pointers in the game and finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Despite the three first half fouls that kept Kemba Walker (8-18, 21 PTS, 4 AST) on the bench, the Hornets managed to finish the first half trailing 62-59. The Hornets bench picked up the slack - outscoring the starters by 3 points as they headed into the locker room.

With under a minute remaining and the Hornets trailing 115-111 after the open 3-pointer by James Ennis, Jeremy Lamb (6-11, 26 PTS, 11 REB) cut the lead to one after being fouled at the other end on a three point attempt and converting the free throws.

The Hornets, counting on Lanb to come through one more time, fell short after he missed a five foot jumper with 2 seconds remaining in regulation.

With the 118-114 win over the Hornets the Sixers won their fifth straight and improved to 46-25.

"In the fourth quarter we were right there again, we just have to find a way to close out games and make shots down the stretch." Hornets coach James Borrego said in his one and only response after the game.

The Hornets, now 31-39 after losing four of their last five games, host the Minnesota Timberwolves at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Spectrum Center.