The 76ers are finally getting a little more breathing room in the middle, and Saturday night in Charlotte showed it.
Jabari Walker was back after dealing with a knee-related issue for the past couple of weeks, and Tacko Fall was also available for the first time since joining Philadelphia in the preseason battle for the final two-way spot. The timing mattered, too. The Sixers were on the second night of a back-to-back, which meant they were already thin heading into the matchup with the Hornets.
Philadelphia had used its first game of the set, an NBA Cup win over the New York Knicks, with Joel Embiid and LeBron James in the lineup. But both were out against Charlotte, and with Embiid missing his second game of the season, the Sixers turned to Adem Bona for his first start of the year. Bona logged 22 minutes and handled the center spot as the primary backup usually does.
Walker’s return helped keep the Sixers from leaning too hard on Dean Wade at the five. Wade still played 30 minutes, but the frontcourt picture looked a little less stretched with Walker back in the mix.
Fall, though, is still searching for his first appearance in a Sixers uniform. Philadelphia upgraded him to questionable on Saturday afternoon, then cleared him after the early training camp setback that had already knocked him out for at least two weeks. He missed the entire preseason and that absence carried into the regular season.
Given the team’s lack of center depth, Fall looked like the natural candidate to secure the two-way deal. Instead, he remains the biggest question mark on the roster. Even with Embiid and LeBron James sidelined, head coach Nick Nurse kept Fall out of the 10-man rotation, which included Labaron Philon Jr. for 10 minutes and a small dose of Justin Edwards minutes.
That leaves Fall still waiting, and it says plenty about how steep his climb is if he can’t crack the floor while two other center options are unavailable.
Walker, meanwhile, made the most of his chance. He played 19 minutes, hit 5 of 8 shots, scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds. His role is still fluid, and his contract is not fully guaranteed, but the Sixers clearly see a place for him depending on the situation.
In Other News...
76ers Suddenly Face A Starting Five Dilemma In Charlotte
After taking care of the Knicks, the 76ers now have to solve a different kind of problem in Charlotte: how to piece together a starting group without LeBron James and Joel Embiid for the second night of a back-to-back. Nick Nurse is already weighing his options, and the decision could shape everything from the opening tip to how Philadelphia matches up across the floor.
One path would be to lean into size and give Adem Bona and Dean Wade a look in the first five, while another would be to go smaller and use Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to help cover the gaps. Jaylen Brown is also questionable, and the Hornets own availability questions around Jabari Walker and Tacko Fall could add another wrinkle to a game that already looks like it may come down to lineup math as much as execution. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Let Another Tight Game Slip As Tempers Boil Late
A tight game in Charlotte turned into another frustrating finish for the Hornets, who watched Philadelphia pull away late in a 109-104 loss at Spectrum Center. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid and LeBron James, but Tyrese Maxey carried the scoring load with 38 points as Philadelphia steadied itself down the stretch and kept climbing in the standings.
For Charlotte, the bigger concern was not just the result but the way the night unraveled as emotions flared late in a game the Hornets had a chance to grab. Philadelphia moved to six wins on the season and into the top seed in the Western Conference, while the Hornets were left to sort through another close call that slipped away in front of their home crowd. [Read more 🡒]
76ers Momentum Gets Tested As Philly Heads To Charlotte Short-Handed
The 76ers trip to Charlotte comes with a very different look than the one fans had in mind, as the team has already ruled out LeBron James and Joel Embiid for injury management. James is dealing with low back and sciatica issues, while Embiid continues to work through a right foot plantar fascia injury, leaving Philadelphia to navigate another game without two of its biggest names.
The injury list does not stop there, either, with Dominick Barlow and Ariel Hukporti also out and Jaylen Brown listed as questionable. For a team trying to keep its momentum intact, the challenge now is less about star power and more about how deep the rotation can hold up in a game that suddenly looks a lot less straightforward. [Read more 🡒]