The Charlotte Hornets (44 - 31) defeated the Philadelphia 76ers (9 - 67) 100 - 91 on Friday. Despite their lamentable record, Philadelphia can take some solace in how competitive they've managed to be against a number of playoff teams, even in the latter stages of the season. They were facing even longer odds than usual Friday, with the contest taking place at Time Warner Cable Arena, where Charlotte had amassed an impressive 27 - 11 record coming into the night. The Sixers' frontcourt also continued to find itself in an injury - riddled state, as Nerlens Noel (knee) and Richaun Holmes (Achilles) were forced to miss the game with their respective injuries. However, Jerami Grant stepped in at power forward and acquitted himself well once again, while Carl Landry continued to provide some veteran leadership while manning the center position. Although they were unable to secure the victory, Philadelphia received encouraging efforts from across their roster. The Sixers' effort was spearheaded by a pair of 17 - point efforts from Hollis Thompson and Grant. The former also added two rebounds, an assist and a steal, while the latter contributed a pair of rebounds, an assist and two steals. Landry was next with 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Elton Brand got plenty of playing time off the bench due to the decimated state of the Philadelphia frontcourt, and tallied a 13 - point, 11 - rebound double - double that also included an assist, a steal and a block. Nik Stauskas was productive in a reserve role as well, compiling 11 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. The Sixers remain in last place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. They head back home to face the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. Charlotte was led by Kemba Walker's 27 points, which he supplemented with 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Nicolas Batum followed with 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds. No other starter managed double - digit scoring, but Cody Zeller did fill out the stat sheet with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and three steals. Al Jefferson paced the reserves with 13 points, seven rebounds, a pair of blocks and a steal. The Hornets are currently in second place in the Eastern Conference's Southeast Division, and are slotted in the fourth seed in the conference. They head to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers on Sunday.
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