Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers Prediction & Match Preview - January 12th , 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22
Heading into Wednesday night's matchup, the Charlotte Hornets will end their home stand and hit the road to play the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 12th.
The Hornets will head into this game with significant momentum. Coming off back-to-back wins against the reigning champions, the up-and-coming Hornets team is making noise on the Eastern Conference leaderboard.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers will look to continue their undefeated streak as they come off yet another win against the Houston Rockets. With a seven-game win streak building up behind them, the 76ers find themselves only one game out of fourth place in the East.
The 76ers hold a 2-0 series lead against the Hornets thus far. Heading into the third installment of the series, the Hornets will look to win one against Philadelphia on the road.
Match Details
Fixture - Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers | 2021-22 NBA Season
Date & Time - Wednesday, January 12th, 2022; 7:00 PM ET (Thursday, January 13th, 2022; 5:30 AM IST)
Venue - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
Charlotte Hornets Preview
The Charlotte Hornets appear to be on a hot streak as they travel to Philadelphia. They are on a three-game winning streak with no signs of slowing down.
The win against Milwaukee saw Charlotte play some great basketball. With the additional upside of having a healthy roster, the Hornets saw stellar performances from Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball over the course of the last two games.
@T_Rozzay3 (27 PTS) & @MELOD1P (23 PTS) combine for 50 PTS and lead the way in the @hornets dub!🏀 @T_Rozzay3 (27 PTS) & @MELOD1P (23 PTS) combine for 50 PTS and lead the way in the @hornets dub! https://t.co/JZ3v4VpMNP
On the back of another big scoring outing for Rozier, the Hornets would still find the shorthanded Bucks closing the gap nearing the end of the game.
Featuring a clutch driving floater by LaMelo Ball to seal the game, the Hornets would emerge as winners with the clock running down.
Heading into the next game, Charlotte will be slightly shorthanded as Kelly Oubre Jr. features on the injury report. However, their impressive momentum makes them an interesting team to watch.
Key Player - LaMelo Ball
The Charlotte Hornets will look to LaMelo Ball to be their key player in this matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers.
As a potential All-Star emerging from the East, Ball has shown tremendous growth as a player in his sophomore year this season. Starting at point guard, Ball makes use of his height and court vision to facilitate Charlotte's offense.
Coming off a 23-point outing to support Terry Rozier's 27 points on Monday, Ball showed incredible tenacity as he took matters into his own hands and delivered the final blow to the Bucks.
LAMELO BALL, BIG BALLER BRAND 🔥
https://t.co/kkD8bpYfeu
Although his assist numbers were down for the game, with only three assists, Ball will probably show more activity in Wednesday's game against Philadelphia.
With Seth Curry and Tyrese Maxey out of the rotation, the limited guard rotation of the 76ers gives the 20-year old enough freedom to get the rest of his team involved.
Charlotte Hornets Predicted Lineup
G - LaMelo Ball | G - Terry Rozier | F - Miles Bridges | F - Gordon Hayward | C - Mason Plumlee
Philadelphia 76ers Preview
The Philadelphia 76ers have been nothing short of brilliant to start of 2022. With a seven-game winning streak developing since the last week of December, the 76ers have enjoyed an undefeated January thus far.
Behind some tremendous performances by Joel Embiid, who has been playing at MVP-caliber, Philadelphia has also enjoyed the contributions of key players such as Tobias Harris and Seth Curry.
With Harris and Korkmaz also functioning as secondary scorers and playmakers for the team, Philadelphia gained some flexibility with regards to pacing Embiid, who only played 26 minutes against Houston.
Heading into the game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Philadelphia 76ers may face some trouble. With Seth Curry featured on the injury report, the team may see two key players out for the game.
Although their momentum is impressive, the overall absence of their starting backcourt, including Tyrese Maxey, does pose some issues for their rotation.
Key Player - Joel Embiid
The Philadelphia 76ers will look to Joel Embiid to be the key player in this matchup against the Charlotte Hornets.
Joel Embiid over his last 10 games:
31 PTS - 8 REB - 6 AST
31 PTS - 12 REB - 7 AST
31 PTS - 5 REB - 4 AST
31 PTS - 15 REB - 10 AST
34 PTS - 7 REB - 1 AST
36 PTS - 11 REB - 4 AST
36 PTS - 13 REB - 2 BLK
23 PTS - 10 REB - 2 BLK
41 PTS - 10 REB - 5 BLK
32 PTS - 9 REB - 6 AST https://t.co/1GLGD2UjCX
Coming off another 30+ point performance, Embiid was efficient and quick on the scoring front. Recording 31 points in 26 minutes of game time, he also recorded eight rebounds and six assists in the process of the game.
He will play an important role for Philadelphia against the Hornets. As one of the most dominant centers in the game, Embiid will have every opportunity to maximize his potential.
Although Mason Plumlee is a good center, the lack of overall defensive integrity in Charlotte's interior will be an ample opening for Philadelphia's big man.
Philadelphia 76ers Predicted Lineup
G - Furkan Korkmaz | G - Danny Green | F - Matisse Thybulle | F - Tobias Harris | C - Joel Embiid
Hornets vs 76ers Match Predictions
The Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers matchup poses an enticing one. With both teams heading into this game with serious momentum, the chances of winning seem fairly even.
Philadelphia will enjoy home court advantage in this game. With an 8-8 record at home, the 76ers have a misleading record considering their roster struggles earlier in the season.
Meanwhile, Charlotte doesn't have a solid record on the road. With a 10-14 record in away situations, the Charlotte Hornets will hope their roster strength will be an ample advantage.
Should Philadelphia's defensive unit manage to put the clamps down on Charlotte's backcourt, they may enjoy a victory. However, if Charlotte manages to lock down Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers may not see the same outcome.
Where to watch Hornets vs 76ers game?
The Charlotte Hornets vs Philadelphia 76ers game will be locally broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The game will also be available on the NBA’s League Pass platform. Fans can also listen to the game by tuning into 97.5 The Fanatic.