Hornets at 76ers
The Charlotte Hornets are racking up victories and moving up the Eastern
Conference standings, and look to continue their success when they
visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Charlotte has won nine of its
past 12 games after clobbering the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday and is in
possession of sixth place in the tightly bunched East.
The Hornets showed no mercy against the struggling Suns and led by as many as 43 points before settling for a 126-92 home victory and aim to avoid a letdown against the NBA's worst team. "What we can't do is go out and get too comfortable," center Al Jefferson told reporters after the win over Phoenix. "We said this game would mean nothing if we go to Philly and lay an egg. Every game is very important, especially going down the stretch this late in the season." The 76ers have lost nine consecutive games and are allowing an unsightly 116.2 points per game during the stretch. Philadelphia hopes to have rookie center Jahlil Okafor (shin) back in the lineup after he missed Monday's 116-108 road loss to the Washington Wizards.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HORNETS (31-28): The contest with Philadelphia is one of just two road games during a 12-game stretch that began with the Phoenix contest and Charlotte is well aware it can strengthen its playoff positioning. "We know how important these games are," standout guard Kemba Walker told reporters. "We want to take care of things at home. We've improved a lot on the road, and that's helped us. But we've been playing great at home throughout the season, so we know how important it is." Walker was superb with 26 points and nine assists against the Suns and has scored 20 or more points in nine of the past 10 games.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (8-52): Okafor averaged 23.5 points over the previous two games before surprisingly being held out against the Wizards as coach Brett Brown wanted to prevent him from perhaps missing multiple games. "We're just trying to be smart with him," Brown told reporters. "We have to find something a little bit different in ways to put points on the board." Okafor has missed seven games during a fine rookie season in which he is averaging 17.5 and 7.0 rebounds.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Jefferson had 26 points and 10 rebounds as the Hornets rolled to a 113-88 home victory over the 76ers on Nov. 20.
2. Charlotte backup PF/C Spencer Hawes (lower back) will miss his seventh consecutive game.
3. Philadelphia PG Ish Smith is averaging 21 points and seven assists over the past two games.