The Hornets Continue Their Hot Streak Against the Sixers

A win was expected for the Hornets when they took on the Eastern Conference’s bottom-dwelling 76ers, but being better on paper doesn’t always equate to a win. In such situations, the team expected to win faces an enhanced pressure, and it is up to this favored team to take care of business and win the games they’re ‘supposed to’, which is exactly what the Hornets did on Wednesday night.

In an increasingly tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference, each game takes on an increased importance, and this message hasn’t been lost on the Hornets, who beat the Suns and Sixers by 20+ points on back-to-back nights.

Wednesday night served as the latest episode of the Kemba Walker show, as the diminutive guard sliced, slashed, and splashed his way through the Sixers’ paltry defense on the way to another 30+ point performance. He finished with 31, on 21 shots, and a +/- rating of +18. When the Sixers [briefly] secured the lead in the third quarter, Walker took charge, as he so often does, and served as offensive spark his team needed, converting a variety of drives, jumpers, and free throws to put his team in the driver’s seat.

Walker didn’t do it alone though, as four other Hornets players (Batum, Williams, Zeller, Lin) scored in double figures as well, providing too much firepower for the struggling Sixers to contend with. Charlotte did a lot of their damage in the paint, where the outscored the Sixers – who were missing big man Jahlil Okafor – 40 to 28. 

The variety of double-digit scorers is a good sign for the Hornets, who tend to rely on Walker heavily at times for point production. Walker has been largely up to the task this season though, as he was on Wednesday night, as he helped the Hornets secure another important win for their playoff push. 

The Hornets are now 8-2 over their last 10 games, and seem to be heating up at the right time. They currently sit at sixth in the Eastern Conference with 22 games remaining, so each game will continue to hold weight down the stretch.