The Philadelphia 76ers scored a 118-111 victory over Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night and made a defensive statement early in the game. The defensive effort of the team was something they used to ensure victory in victory.
They kept Hornets with just 13 points in the first quarter, putting Charlotte in a difficult spot from the start. The Hornets then kicked just 35.6% of the ground in the first half and only 3 in 17 from the bottom.
This effort was led by their double star, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, while the two worked hard and the team followed.
“We were active defensively out there,” said Tobias Harris. “Our pressure was there and that’s where a guy like Ben, I think, can’t get enough credit, but defensively, his intensity. I thought that Joel was bringing this up from the start of the game at both ends tonight. I thought he was great for us. “
Simmons accepted the challenge to defend Hornets’ top scorer, Gordon Hayward, and held him for a 4 in 10 shot in the first half. Hayward had been playing really good basketball lately, helping Charlotte win three games in a row, but Simmons did an excellent job with him.
Combine that with Embiid at the rear end of the defense forcing the guys to think twice before going for the basket, it’s difficult.
“I thought Ben over Gordon Hayward was fair, his defense was dominating,” coach Doc Rivers marveled. “When you have these two on the floor and their size, it allows our other guys to be really good, too. That section of the first quarter was the best we could play in defense. It wasn’t like they were missing shots, there weren’t many shots available. “
At the end of the day, the defense was stifling and it was as good as the Sixers looked throughout the season.
“I think the sky is the limit,” said veteran Danny Green. “Obviously, this is a different team, it is different in different confrontations. I think how active we were, how many deflections we got, was definitely a glimpse of how good we can potentially be. I think the hard part is doing it for 48 minutes. “
It was really impressive because the Sixers forced the Hornets to play at a different pace. Charlotte likes to run and climb and descend with the athletes she has, but they couldn’t. Simmons and Embiid made sure they didn’t have those opportunities.
“Even the pitches they gave, for the most part, were a hand in the face, contested, late, and that’s not how they want to play,” Rivers said. “They want to go up and down on the ground. The fact that we didn’t allow them to do that was really cool. “
The challenge now is to board the plane and return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!