Embiid powers 76ers to third consecutive win
PHILADELPHIA -- Joel Embiid had 24 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots as the surging Philadelphia 76ers beat the Charlotte Hornets 102-93 on Friday night.
Dario Saric added 15 points for the Sixers, who won their third straight and their fifth in six games.
Ersan Ilyasova finished with 12 points and Robert Covington and Sergio Rodriguez contributed 11 apiece for Philadelphia (12-25).
Nic Batum had 19 points to pace Charlotte, which shot 32.9 percent from the floor in losing for the sixth time in seven games. The season low for the Hornets (20-20) is 32.7 percent.
Kemba Walker had 17 points and Cody Zeller chipped in 15 points and 10 rebounds. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with 12 points and 12 boards.
Embiid, a rookie center who is being touted by the Sixers for the All-Star team, exceeded 20 points for the eighth straight game. It is the longest string by any player since Brett Brown took over as coach four years ago, according to the team's official web site.
The Sixers never trailed, and took their biggest lead at 88-75 on Covington's 3-pointer with 9:02 left. The Hornets crept within six at 97-91 with just over a minute left but could draw no closer.
The Sixers moved to a 32-21 lead early in the second quarter behind 10 points from Embiid and some stout defense. Charlotte went 7:49 without a field goal in one stretch.
The Hornets later cut the gap to a point, but by halftime the Sixers were ahead 52-45.
Embiid finished the half with 12 points and Saric collected nine points and six rebounds.
Batum had 11 points to pace the Hornets, who shot just 28.9 percent from the floor in the first two quarters.
Charlotte scored the first seven points of the second half to draw even, but the Sixers answered with a 17-4 rush that included 3-pointers from Nik Stauskas, Covington and Ilyasova to go up 69-56.
The Hornets continued their push after Embiid went to the bench with four fouls with 5:15 left in the quarter. Walker notched nine points in the quarter, including a layup with 11 seconds left that cut the gap to 74-71.
Nerlens Noel nailed a jumper with less than a second left in the quarter, triggering a 14-4 rush that left the Sixers with an 88-75 cushion.
NOTES: Charlotte G Nic Batum returned after missing the last two games with a hyperextended right knee, but G Jeremy Lamb was not with the team because of a metatarsal inflammation. ... The Sixers plan to rest C Joel Embiid when they play in Washington on Saturday night. That means C Jahlil Okafor, who has fallen out of the rotation recently, will see extensive action. Coach Brett Brown praised Okafor for his professionalism, even as his minutes have dwindled. "He has been unbelievable, really," Brown said. "You want to talk about a young man going through a life lesson. This is it, and a blueprint for many, many other young people in the league: How do you handle adversity? Your star's not shining at the moment, and how do you deal with it?" ... Earlier in the day, Philadelphia sent F Richaun Holmes to its NBA Development League affiliate, the Delaware 87ers.