Hayward, Hornets end long skid against Sixers
Gordon Hayward made his first nine shots and scored 30 points and the Hornets beat the 76ers 109-98 in Philadelphia on Wednesday night to snap a 16-game losing streak in the series.
“We talked about it before the game. We talked about ending the streak,” Hayward said. “It was a big win for us. But it was just one.”
The Hornets hadn’t won against the Sixers since Nov. 2, 2016, the longest active losing streak in the NBA.
“We battled with these guys for a number of years and it feels like every shot at the end of the game has gone their direction,” Charlotte head coach James Borrego said.
Hayward came out firing with a 9-for-9 first half — that included four 3-pointers — for 22 points that put the Hornets up 14 at the break. Hayward, who averaged 17 points, became the fourth Hornets player to score 20 points in the first half since the 1996-97 season.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points for the Hornets and Miles Bridges added 21.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points for the fifth straight game and the Sixers’ seven-game winning streak ended.
Embiid continued to do Embiid things and wrecked the Hornets with every kind of a shot from a step-back 3 to a down-the-lane dunk that left the backboard shaking.
His recent stretch is one of the best in team history, joining Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain as the only Sixers to score 30-plus points in eight straight games. Embiid made 10 of 17 shots and 10 of 14 freethrow tries against the Hornets.
Embiid, though, can’t carry the Sixers alone and the franchise is at a stalemate with All-Star guard Ben Simmons. Embiid picked up his fifth foul with 3:45 left in the third and the Hornets ended the quarter up 85-76.
“It starts with me. I wasn’t good enough,“Embiid said.
With skid against the Sixers stretching more than five years, the Hornets instead showed why they might be a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a message. We just have to continue to get better,” Bridges said. “These are three good wins against three good teams but we still haven’t done anything yet.”
Tobias Harris hit a 3 that cut the Sixers’ deficit to eight only for Rozier to come right back and hit one for the Hornets. Bridges buried Charlotte’s ninth 3 to stretch the lead — and put that losing streak to rest. Celtics 119, Pacers 100: Jaylen Brown scored 34 points and Jayson Tatum added 33 as Boston snapped a six-game road losing skid while beating Indiana for the second time in three days and the fourth straight time. Myles Turner had 18 points and Domantas Sabonis had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists as the Pacers lost their second straight and eighth in nine games.
Wizards 112, Magic 106: Kyle Kuzma had 19 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and host Washington scored the game’s first nine points in pushing its win streak to three. The Wizards won for a second consecutive night without guard Bradley Beal, who was out because of health and safety protocols. Kuzma wasn’t the only player just shy of a tripledouble. Cole Anthony had 19 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists for Orlando, which has lost 10 in a row. Terence Ross scored 17 points for the Magic. Knicks 108, Mavericks 85: RJ Barrett scored 32 points, Mitchell Robinson had a season-high 19 and host New York snapped Dallas’ six-game winning streak. Robinson threw down three dunks in a powerful third quarter for the Knicks, who won for the fourth time in five games and improved to 21-21. Luka Doncic had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks. Heat 115, Hawks 91: Tyler Herro had 21 points and Miami scored the first 16 points of the second half to break open a close game, winning to cap a 4-2 road trip. Herro added 11 assists to lead Miami’s balanced attack. Caleb Martin had 18 points for the Heat. John Collins led Atlanta with 16 points. Trae Young scored 15.