76ers at Hornets
After a miserable performance, the slumping Charlotte Hornets continue their desperate attempt to secure a playoff spot for the second straight season when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. The Hornets are two games behind the Miami Heat for the eighth and final playoff spot, are also behind Boston and Indiana and coming off a 93-74 defeat at Indiana on Friday.
If Charlotte has any hope of securing a spot in the postseason, Philadelphia is a must-win as is Miami on
Tuesday because Charlotte plays Toronto twice and Atlanta and Houston
once within its last five games. In a battle for the worst record in
the NBA and the highest percentage of receiving the first pick in the
2015 draft, the 76ers are four games ahead of New York and two ahead of
Minnesota for the worst record in the NBA. However, the franchise is
ecstatic about the play of rookie Nerlens Noel, who is turning into a
cornerstone for the fledgling franchise. The sixth overall pick has
averaged 14.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals and 2.1 blocks in his
last 18 games after sitting out all of last season and playing just 24
games in his one season at Kentucky.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Charlotte), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE 76ERS (18-58): Philadelphia has lost four straight, including a
106-93 decision at Washington on Wednesday, and concludes a three-game
road trip Sunday in New York. Ish Smith tied his season high with 23
points against the Wizards to continue the best stretch of basketball of
his career, and Noel's play has spiked with Smith running the point.
"Nerlens is making me look good," Smith told Philly.com "Take nothing
away from Dwight [Howard] and Serge [Ibaka] and some of the bigs I
played with, but Nerlens is just so active." A win against Charlotte
will allow Philadelphia to match last season's win total of 19.
ABOUT
THE HORNETS (32-43): Charlotte missed 16 consecutive shots during one
stretch in the second half against Indiana, made just 2-of-21 shots in
the third quarter and scored just 22 points in the middle periods.
Gerald Henderson scored 12 points but Al Jefferson and his sore knee was
limited to four points in 12 minutes. "We didn't put up a good effort
at all," Henderson told reporters. "We are in a tough playoff push right
now and that's not really the type of effort you can give if you want
to make the playoffs."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Sixers G Isaiah Canaan sprained his right ankle during Wednesday's game and is questionable against the Hornets.
2.
Hornets G Lance Stephenson, who did not play in his previous two games, entered
the Indiana game late in the third quarter to a chorus of boos from his former team's fans and finished with 10 points in 14 minutes.
3. Noel
leads rookies with 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.9 blocks per game and
has averaged 3.7 offensive rebounds in the past 15 games.