Last night the Sixers suffered their 40th defeat of the season to the Boston Celtics by a score of 107-96. The game was lopsided right from the opening tip as the Sixers, who were without their leader Michael Carter-Williams due to a toe injury he suffered in the previous game, fell behind 40-19 at one point early in the second quarter and things weren’t looking pretty. Their efforts brought them back into the game towards the end of the third quarter as they cut the Celtics lead to six points after three quarters of play, but Boston was able to restrain the Sixers from accomplishing a successful comeback as they pulled away in the final few minutes. The highlight of the night was Penn State product Tim Frazier who just joined the Sixers a few days ago. He struggled in the early going but responded well, finishing with 11 assists during his 35 minutes of play.
Tonight the Sixers will get another opportunity to prove themselves without Michael Carter-Williams who will not dress because of the toe injury I mentioned earlier. The visitors are the new look Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets are making the trip to the Wells Fargo Center in the midst of their best play this season, as they’ve won 12 of their last 15 games and although their record stands at 22-27, they are a team currently surging into the Eastern Conference playoff picture with their recent success. Charlotte is usually led by their star Kemba Walker but a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee has kept him on the sidelines for the past few weeks and they don’t expect him to be back anytime soon. With that being said, this team hasn’t missed a beat without their leader, as they have gone 4-1 since the injury sidelined Walker. With the absence of their star offensive scorer in play, the Hornets have been led by their defensive play. Charlotte has had the best defense in the league throughout their last 15 games and with the way the Sixers have been shooting the ball recently, this one could potentially become a very ugly game.
Game Notes:
- Over its last 15 games, Charlotte is holding opponents to an NBA-low 89.9 points per game.
- With Michael Carter-Williams out and no more Larry Drew, expect to see a lot of Tim Frazier for the second night in a row.
- Last night Frazier became just the sixth player since 1985-86 to tally 10-plus assists in his NBA debut. Also, the last player to accomplish this was Michael Carter-Williams.
- The Sixers are 1-5 in their last six games against Charlotte.
- The Sixers average the fewest points per game (90.0) in the NBA; the Hornets allow the third-fewest (96.7).
Injury Report
Sixers- Michael Carter-Williams (toe strain on right foot) is questionable; Andrei Kirilenko (suspended), Tony Wroten (knee), Joel Embiid (foot) and Jason Richardson (knee/foot) remain out indefinitely.
Hornets- Lance Stephenson (left knee tendinitis) is questionable; Kemba Walker (left knee surgery), Bismack Biyombo (bruised right knee), Jannero Pargo (strained lower back) are out indefinitely.
Projected Starters
Sixers
PG- JaKarr Sampson
SG- K.J. McDaniels
SF- Robert Covington
PF- Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
C- Nerlens Noel
Hornets
PG- Brian Roberts
SG- Gerald Henderson
SF- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
PF- Cody Zeller
C- Al Jefferson
Prediction: The Sixers definitely don’t match up well for tonight’s game vs Charlotte and I feel this game could very easily get out of hand. 108-85 Hornets.
