Less than four weeks into the season, the Philadelphia 76ers are already searching for answers.
The Sixers are desperate for a victory Sunday when they host the Charlotte Hornets, who are seeking their third straight win.
Philadelphia (1-7) was expected to contend for a championship behind the dynamic trio of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey. However, an array of injuries has upended the 76ers.
Embiid has yet to play this season due to a knee injury and, most recently, he was given a three-game suspension for shoving a columnist. The former NBA MVP is expected to make his season debut Tuesday when the New York Knicks come to town.
George (knee) missed the first five games and is shooting just 41.7 percent overall (and 3 of 16 on 3-pointers) since returning. Then there is Maxey, who injured his hamstring in a loss to the host Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday and will likely miss multiple weeks.
At this point, the Sixers are just trying to stay afloat until they get healthy.
“The ship hasn’t sunk,” George said. “We know that we have to remain positive. We know that big fella is coming back, and he’s one of the best. We’re going to get Tyrese healthy and we’ll get him back. Then we can finally be a complete team and start to build, and then we can finally begin to find out who we are.”
In their most recent contest, the Sixers absorbed a 116-106 loss to LeBron James and the host Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. Rookie Jared McCain came off the bench to lead Philadelphia in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-17 shooting, while George and Kelly Oubre Jr. shot a combined 8 of 29 (0 of 10 from deep) and finished with nine points apiece.
“We have some plays there, and it just seems like we don’t make them, or we go through a drought shooting the ball,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said. “We have to collectively figure out a way to play better.”
The defensive end might be a good place to start. Philadelphia has allowed at least 105 points in all eight of its games — a trend that might spell bad news against the Hornets’ impressive duo of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
Ball is averaging 28.4 points and is coming off a 31-point performance in Charlotte’s 103-83 win over the visiting Indiana Pacers. He had 17 points in the fourth quarter, matching Indiana’s team total, and leads the NBA in fourth-quarter points this season.
“I just think that his overall confidence in himself and his confidence in his teammates just exudes in the fourth quarter,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “And I think it just becomes contagious for all of us where we know we’ve got that guy and he’s going to help us all be better.”
Miller, who hit a putback at the buzzer Wednesday to be the Detroit Pistons, then scored 29 points on 7-of-11 shooting from long range against Indiana.
“Scary sight,” Miller said of the Hornets’ talented tandem. “It’s definitely going to be scary. LaMelo is that two-way (player) that Coach Charles has been preaching to everybody, and also myself. I think that’s a dangerous game to play. His ability to pass the ball on the offensive side and my ability to knock down shots, I think that’s a great duo to have in this league.”
The Sixers have won 23 of the past 25 meetings with the Hornets, including all four matchups last season.
