PHILADELPHIA — Things were different with Joel Embiid and James Harden on the court.
The 76ers faced Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 23 without Embiid, Harden and Tyrese Maxey. And the Hornets feasted in the paint in the Sixers’ loss.
But on Sunday, Joel Embiid feasted on Charlotte and Harden had a near triple-double as the Sixers prevailed, 131-113, at the Wells Fargo Center.
The victory improved the Sixers to 14-12 and evened their series with the Hornets to one game apiece. Charlotte (7-20) has lost five straight and six of their last seven games.
Embiid finished with a game-high 53 points along with 12 rebounds and one block. Harden added 19 points, a game-high 16 assists and nine rebounds.
Kelly Oubre. Jr. and Terry Rozier paced the Hornets with 29 points each.
Embiid missed the Sixers’ first game against the Hornets at the Spectrum Center with a sprained left foot. Harden was sidelined with a strained tendon in his right foot. And that was one of 11 games that Maxey has already missed with a fractured left foot.
Without the trio, the Hornets scored 72 points in the paint and took a six-point victory. It was a game where the undermanned Sixers, playing the second game in as many nights without their leading scorers, ran out of gas.
Embiid made sure that didn’t happen Sunday night.
He scored 14 points in the fourth to put the game out of reach before exiting the game with 2 minutes, 14 seconds remaining. That came after Embiid tallied 20 points in the second quarter.
His 53 points were his second-highest points total of the season. Embiid had a career-high 59 points against the Utah Jazz on Nov. 13.
He’s the only NBA player with multiple 50-point performances this season. Embiid is also the first Sixer with multiple 50-point games in a season since Hall of Famer Allen Iverson had three during the 2004-05 season.
Embiid, Iverson and Hall of Famer Wilt Chamberlain are the only Sixers to have multiple 50-point games in a season.
This is also the fourth time Embiid has scored at least 40 points this season. He has now scored at least 30 points in 12 of 18 games played this season.
Second-quarter domination
Embiid dominated Mason Plumlee and whoever else guarded him in the second quarter. The five-time All-Star scored 20 points on 6-for-8 shooting along with making all seven of his foul shots in 8:21.
His first basket of the quarter came on a three-pointer that knotted the score at 33 with 7:51 before intermission. Embiid’s two baskets were a 13-foot jumper before making a pair of foul shots.
The foul shots were the first of 15 straight points by Embiid to give the Sixers a 61-52 lead with 31.2 seconds before intermission. The 7-foot-2, 280-pounder scored three straight three-point plays during that stretch.
Maxey Update
Maxey was originally expected to miss three to four weeks when he suffered the injury against the Milwaukee Bucks on Nov. 18. Four weeks from the date of that injury is next weekend.
The Sixers host the Golden State Warriors on Friday and entertain the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 19.
Doc Rivers said Wednesday that Maxey was able to run, but not sprint. He started shooting the ball on Monday.
“I don’t know about the sprint part, but he’s doing more,” Rivers said when asked Sunday if Maxey is now able to sprint. “But I think this week will be a big week for him, you know as far as when he’ll be able to come back.”
Asked specifically what he’ll do this week to make the determination, Rivers responded, “play basketball.”
“I’m totally serious,” the coach said. “I’m not joking. I mean right now, he’s done nothing competitive. He’s just running and jumping. I don’t even know if he’s jumping yet.
“So we’re obviously not going to put him on the floor until he can play in a pickup game or two-on-two and he’s not been able to do that. So until he get that point, he’s going to be out.”
Remembering Paul Silas
The Sixers held a moment of silence for former Hornets coach Paul Silas, who passed away earlier in the day.
Silas compiled a 387-488 record during 12 seasons as an NBA coach with stops with the San Diego Clippers, Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Bobcats.
Before that, he played 16 seasons with five different teams. He also won three NBA titles, two with the Boston Celtics and another with Seattle SuperSonics.
“I hope he’s remembered, first of all, as a great player,” Rivers said. " …You look at a Paul Silas. He was an enforcer. He was nothing but toughness. Then when you look at him as a man, he was the most gentle human being, the most honest human being. We need more of those in our league
“For guys that didn’t know him, he was just the greatest guy.”
