CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyrese Maxey scored 38 points, Anfernee Simons added 19 points off the bench and Philadelphia 76ers proved they could win without stars LeBron James and Joel Embiid, battling back to beat the Charlotte Hornets 109-104 on Saturday night.
Jaylen Brown, who was considered a game-time decision, started and finished with 16 points for the 76ers.
The sellout crowd of 19,533 at the Spectrum Center didn’t get to see James and Embiid play
as the 76ers rested both players one night after beating the New York Knicks 98-93 in an intense NBA Cup game.
Grayson Allen had 27 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting from 3-point range for the Hornets, while Brandon Miller added 24 points on five 3s.
Charlotte seized the momentum when Miller blocked V.J. Edgecombe's layup with five minutes left, then threw a perfect bounce pass to Moussa Diabate on the other end for a dunk off a pick and roll to put the Hornets up 97-90.
But the 76ers chipped away behind two buckets from Simons and took the lead for good with 1:22 left on a pair of free throws by Maxey. Philadelphia pushed the lead to 105-101 when Edgecombe knocked down a 3 from the left wing.
Charlotte's Sion James missed an uncontested layup with 24 seconds left and Maxey added two free throws to increase the lead to six. Miller cut the lead in half with seven seconds left, but Brown iced the game with two free throws with 5.2 seconds left.
The 76ers shot 40% from beyond the arc to overcome a 15 of 23 shooting night from the foul line.
The Hornets were also playing on the second night of a back-to-back and remain without point guard Coby White (calf) and shooting guard Kon Knueppel (hamstring).
76ers: Host Chicago on Monday night.
Hornets: Host Detroit on Monday night.
___
See AP’s full NBA coverage here
