Sixers Earn Another Home Win With MCW Out Again

By Doug Ammon, Sixers.com

At halftime, Sixers fans nervously looked on as their team trailed by six. But 12 minutes later, it was a totally different story.

Philly came out of locker room with something to prove, exploding for a 28-13 outburst in the third quarter and never looking back. The game finished 89-81 in favor of the Sixers, marking the squad’s 12th win of the season and fourth straight at home.

“We had our best period of the season,” said head coach Brett Brown of his team’s play coming out of the halftime break. “That third quarter was just exceptional on both sides.”

Saturday’s victory was all about team defense. The Sixer held the Hornets to just 34.5% shooting from the field and 26.1% from beyond the arc. But, the aforementioned third quarter was when everything went right for the squad. They held Charlotte to 17.6% shooting in that frame and didn’t allow the Hornets to make a single three-point field goal. At the same time, Philly shot 42.9% from the field and made four of their eight attempts from distance in the third.

Robert Covington put on a show as he has so often has done this season, finishing with a game-high 22 points on 7-for-15 from the field and 5-for-10 from deep. He also contributed team-high eight rebounds as well as two assists.

“You see what you have when you have somebody that can make the long ball, and can do it by himself,” said Brown after the game. “Really, he just took the space that was given to him. I can’t take much credit for drawing a play up for him, I think it was the pace that helped.”

Hollis Thompson wasn’t far behind Covington, as he finished with 18 points on 6-for-9 from the field and 3-for-6 from deep. After a slow start to the season and a lengthy absence due to illness, the second-year swingman has caught fire of late, scoring at least 10 points in each of his last five games. He has developed into a nice compliment to Covington from three-point range, as the two have combined to convert 27 of their 54 attempts (50.0%) over the Sixers’ last four games.

Nerlens Noel (12 points) and Luc Mbah a Moute (13 points) also scored in the double figures, with Noel knocking down three of the four jumpers he attempted to finish 5-of-9 from the field. The rookie big man also pulled down seven rebounds and notched three steals and two blocks, while Mbah a Moute added seven boards.

The Sixers were also led by Tim Frazier, the 6’1” rookie point guard out of Penn State who had never played a minute in the NBA until Friday. With Michael Carter-Williams sidelined due to a toe injury, he made his first career NBA start and finished Saturday’s game with a team-high 36:40 of court time. Frazier followed up his 11-assist performance Friday night with an eight-assist night against the Hornets.

Al Jefferson led the way for Charlotte, as he tallied 18 points and nine rebounds. Gerald Henderson dropped 17, while Marvin Williams contributed 13. Other than these three, no Hornets player scored more than six points, a testament to the stingy defense Philadelphia was playing all night.

Inside the Numbers: +15

At the end of the game, Tim Frazier had the highest +/- of any player who saw the floor Saturday night. His +15 was indicative of the effective game he played on both ends of the floor, making the right plays and distributing the ball to open teammates.

Up Next

The Sixers will have a day to rest before returning to action Monday against the best team in the West, the Golden State Warriors. Tip is set for 7pm (EST).