Sixers Spoil Hornets’ Debut

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Sixers 106, Hornets 92 – Box Score

With new uniforms, a big free agent acquisition, and a new-old name, surely the Hornets thought they would get their 2014 season off to a great start coming into Philadelphia to face the ‘lowly’ Sixers. Well, Brett Brown’s boys had other ideas as the Sixers used a huge 38-point 2nd quarter to stun Charlotte and cruise to an easy victory. Given it was a preseason game, you might think this was a case of the Sixers beating up on Charlotte’s deep bench guys. However, that wasn’t the case at all as Lance Stephenson had a plus/minus of -21 and Al Jefferson was -15. The Sixers were simply the better team Wednesday night. Granted, it was the Hornets first time playing together this season, but at the very least, it portended better things ahead this season for the Sixers than they showed Monday in Boston.

Encouraging Signs:

• Tony Wroten was good wreckin’ ball Wroten Wednesday night, leading the team with 15 points, but more importantly, recording 7 assists against just 3 turnovers. Wroten has an outstanding ability to get into the lane and bend the defense out of their natural positions. When he uses that ability to both patiently look for a scoring opportunity and find his teammates, rather than just wildly heading into the fray without much of a plan, he can be a dangerous player.
• Nerlens Noel looked much better in his second official professional outing, looking much more comfortable offensively as he finished one rebound shy of a double-double. Noel showed off a decent hook shot off a post move, finished an alley-oop off a feed from Alexey Shved, and even hit a 15-foot jump shot late in the game. Defensively, the big man blocked 3 shots and looked the part of that game-altering defensive paint presence the Sixers have been lacking for years.
• It was likely a one-game aberration, but it has to be said that Brandon Davies looked like an actual NBA player against Charlotte. Davies was second on the team with 7 rebounds in just 18 minutes. sank a three, and even had an honest-to-god outstanding up-and-under post move early in the game. I had to double-check the Sixers hadn’t cut Davies and given number 0 to one of the new unknown guys.
• Joel Embiid continues to be a source of entertainment, based on his bench reaction following a nice play by Hollis Thompson:

JoJo reacts to Hollis’ and-1, then shimmies… https://t.co/5eYnPdw3qH

— Philadelphia 76ers (@Sixers) October 8, 2014

Speaking of Hollis Thompson, the one concerning aspect of the contest was his having to leave the game after only 4 minutes, as he suffered a corneal abrasion (i.e. he was scratched in the eye). It’s probably nothing serious but you would hate to see him miss any time rather than building off his white-hot start to the preseason.

Finally, when Casper Ware is doing his best Tony Wroten impression and sinking three-quarter court shots, you know things are going right for you. Hopefully, these sort of nights aren’t too few and far between for the Sixers this season.