Instant observations: Sixers earn first winning streak of season with balanced offense, stout defense vs. Hornets

Could it be… a winning streak for the Sixers?

As they faced an injury-decimated Charlotte Hornets team on Tuesday night, the Sixers had a chance to notch their second consecutive regular season victory for the very first time — and they did just that.

Paul George led the way, with newly-minted Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November Jared McCain bouncing back in a major way, Tyrese Maxey staging an impressive close and everybody else doing just enough to help the Sixers improve to 5-14 — despite an impressive comeback attempt by the hungry Hornets. Here is what stood out from the Sixers’ 110-104 victory in Charlotte, powered by their balanced offensive attack and stout team defense:

Returns and a debut

Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry and Reggie Jackson were all available for the Sixers on Tuesday, giving Sixers head coach Nick Nurse plenty more options than he has had at his disposal in recent games. Martin missed two games due to upper back soreness after playing in each of the team’s first 16 games, while Lowry missed five straight contests due to a right hip strain. Jackson, meanwhile, missed Saturday night’s win in Detroit due to right knee soreness.

Pete Nance, who reportedly agreed to a two-way contract with the Sixers on Monday night — a deal which was announced by the team Tuesday morning — was available for his first action as a Sixer, giving Nurse another interior option should he need one in an emergency. Guard Lester Quinones was waived from his two-way contract to make room for Nance.

Nurse tries another new starting lineup

Martin, who played 37 minutes off the bench on opening night and had started in his remaining 15 appearances before being sidelined, came off the bench in Charlotte. Whether that was due to the team wanting to ease him back into things or the result of a shift in thinking about Martin’s role was not immediately clear.

Starting instead was KJ Martin, who posted his best performance in a Sixers uniform in Detroit:

Meanwhile, Guerschon Yabusele returned to the starting center role with Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond sidelined and Kelly Oubre Jr. remained the starting shooting guard in between Tyrese Maxey and George. McCain came off the bench for the second consecutive game.

Sixers grab early lead thanks to George, Oubre and co.

As George works his way back into midseason form after suffering his second left knee bone bruise in as many months, he has struggled to find any sort of consistent groove as a scorer. His process has not been bad, and the same can be said for his playmaking, where he has made a difference. Ultimately, though, the biggest reason George is a nine-time All-Star is that he has been able to get buckets with the best of them.

When Maxey missed a three-point try on the game’s opening possession and Yabusele revived the possession with an offensive rebound, the ball found George, who knocked down an in-rhythm mid-range jumper:

Soon after, George confidently stepped into a pull-up three from the top of the key and drilled it, another encouraging sign, before one of his teammates grabbed the spotlight.

Oubre has struggled quite a bit from three-point range in his second season with the Sixers, but he is always capable of getting hot at a moment’s notice. He did just that in the opening frame Tuesday, knocking down all three of his shots from beyond the arc:

Nurse has spoken multiple times this season about wanting Oubre to be a more decisive player when he catches the ball, and the first two triples he hit came on rapid-fire spot-up opportunities.

After three subpar games, McCain had a strong bounce-back early on, scoring seven consecutive points late in the first quarter, beginning with this transition triple:

McCain’s close friend and draft classmate, Adem Bona, scored a pair of assisted paint baskets in the opening frame as well. 

Nurse buys athleticism and sells experience — to an extent

During the Sixers’ win in Detroit, their noticeable improvement in athleticism and defensive versatility was undeniable. Watching KJ Martin and Ricky Council IV fly around forced Nurse to reevaluate how much he values veteran experience from smaller, slower players like Kyle Lowry, Reggie Jackson and Eric Gordon.

Jackson and Gordon were each out of the rotation in Charlotte — not a surprise whatsoever. Lowry returned to a backup point guard role, but not the backup point guard role. McCain ran the show for the first four minutes and change with Maxey seated on the bench, with Lowry checking into the game at the 8:53 mark of the second quarter.

It was extremely difficult to imagine Nurse removing Lowry from the rotation entirely without a chance to show he was being held back by the hip strain during his extended struggles in the weeks prior, but this alteration to Nurse’s substitution patterns clearly signaled a demotion for the 38-year-old floor general within the general hierarchy of the team. 

George shows off pull-up shooting mastery in second quarter

It was only a matter of time, right?

Indeed, it was only a matter of time before George pulled off a George-like shooting heater, and a few minutes into the second quarter, the Sixers’ prized acquisition knocked down three pull-up triples in a row. The first two were typical by George’s standards…

And the third was a bit of a heat check:

Finally, the Sixers got another extended glimpse of the player whose ability compelled them to offer a four-year max contract worth $212 million. Since his 29-point game against the New York Knicks, George had struggled to string together more than a few good plays at a time.

Hornets mini-push trims deficit entering halftime

The Sixers expanded their lead to a game-high 18 points just inside of the five-minute mark of the second quarter with their play of the game to that point: Yabusele, who missed all four of his three-point tries prior to intermission, deflected a pass, saved it from going out of bounds and tossed a perfect over-the-head pass to Maxey, who got the Sixers out in transition before throwing a lob to his buddy KJ Martin for a slam, forcing a Charlotte timeout. This might have been the most excited the Sixers’ bench has looked all season:

In the following four minutes and 52 seconds before halftime, though, the Sixers were outscored 9-2 by Charlotte, shrinking their lead to 55-44 at the midway point of the game. Their offense lulled, with the team’s only basket during the stretch coming when George checked back into the game and almost immediately scored on a self-created rim finish.

Charlotte’s run included five points from Caleb Martin’s twin brother, Cody. Have this season’s Sixers-Hornets matchups tied the NBA record for most players named Martin in one game? Much to ponder.

McCain continues resurgence in third quarter

The 20-year-old McCain checked back into the game midway through the third quarter and gave the Sixers the sort of offensive punch they hope top consistently receive should he remain their sixth man. 

McCain’s last three games were dreadful from a three-point shooting perceptive: he went 2-of-11 from beyond the arc in a blowout loss against the Los Angeles Clippers before missing all 10 of his long-range tries between the next two games.

The Sixers’ terrific rookie proved to be far too good of a shooter to allow that slump to last any longer, though, as he knocked down back-to-back triples in the third quarter to help the Sixers extend their lead back to 17 points:

The Sixers and Hornets broke even in the third quarter, allowing Nurse’s team to enter the final frame with an 80-69 lead.

Hornets make a late run, but George doesn’t relent

2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller — thrust into the lead scoring role for a Charlotte team missing All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball — put on a late show, knocking down tough shot after tough shot to drag the Hornets back into the game. George, though, made sure the Sixers remained in control with yet another pair of back-to-back triples.

Miller’s sixth triple of the game cut the Sixers’ lead down to just two points, and Nurse called a timeout to regroup. His team responded well immediately, with the ice-cold Maxey driving and scoring at the rim out of the break before George nabbed a steal and drew a transition foul leading to a pair of free throws.

Charlotte refused to quit, tying the game with three minutes remaining, but George calmly knocked down a pull-up mid-range jumper to put the Sixers back ahead.

Sixers escape with victory thanks to Maxey’s clutch buckets

Seemingly looking to maximize perimeter defense against the red-hot Miller, Nurse chose to not use McCain in the final eight minutes and change of this game despite the rookie’s 17 points and 7-of-10 shooting line. His team struggled mightily offensively, and their defensive-oriented lineups did not get the job done. Initially, Nurse was set to close with Maxey, Oubre, George, KJ Martin and Yabusele, but when Yabusele took a hit, Caleb Martin replaced him on the floor in an extremely small lineup which was exploited defensively.

After a few moments, Yabusele returned, replacing KJ Martin, and put the Sixers in front with a layup. But Miller knocked down yet another triple, giving Charlotte a one-point lead with 90 seconds remaining. Maxey drew a foul and knocked down two free throws, then drew a loose ball foul and split another pair of tries at the line. Leading by two points, the Sixers finally forced a Miller miss, but could not secure a rebound. Charlotte rookie guard KJ Simpson found his way to the ball and drew a foul on Yabusele, then tied the game at the line with 44 seconds remaining.

Maxey continued his strong finishing act, driving and scoring off the glass to give the Sixers the lead inside of 30 seconds remaining:

When the Sixers forced another Miller miss, Maxey returned to the line and gave the Sixers a two-possession lead with his seventh and eighth made free throws of the night. The Sixers allowed Charlotte a quick two, then survived a full-court press and got Maxey the ball for another pair of free throws to extent the lead back to four points with 9.1 seconds remaining. Yabusele sealed the game with a steal which freed up Maxey for a quick layup. That, as they say, was all she wrote.

After really laboring through much of the game, Maxey delivered in every way when his team needed it most.

Up next: The Sixers will complete this back-to-back on their home floor Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, who will stick around for another battle in Philadelphia on Friday as well. Then, the Sixers will be off to Chicago for a Sunday afternoon game against the Bulls.

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