Hornets: OUT. Mark Williams (back), Gordon Hayward (calf), Bryce McGowens (hip), and Nick Richards (ankle). 76ers: OUT. De’Anthony Melton (back), Robert Covington (knee), Jaden Springer (ankle), and Mohamed Bamba (back).
The Hornets (9-30) return home on Saturday night for the second night of a back-to-back, playing the Philadelphia 76ers (27-13). The Hornets have struggled recently with injuries to the majority of their rotation and starters, winning only twice in their last 19 games. When these two teams played in December, the Hornets suffered one of the season’s hardest defeats, losing 135-82. Joel Embiid was unstoppable in that game, tallying 42 points and 15 rebounds.
This time around, the Hornets have some reinforcements in star guard LaMelo Ball, who averages 25.1 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.3 rebounds this season. Given that Brandon Miller’s 14 points led the Hornets in scoring the last time these two teams met, Ball’s facilitating and ability to create his own shots will most certainly make a significant difference in this game.
LaMelo Ball’s return will undoubtedly be welcomed, but the Hornets’ frontcourt remains severely undersized. With starter Mark Williams and backup Nick Richards both out, the Hornets will rely on a mix of 6’7″ P.J. Washington and 6’9″ Nathan Mensah to cover 7’0″ Embiid.
Size isn’t everything in basketball, but the absence of height is surely felt when covering one of the premier scoring bigs of the 21st century.
