By Harold Bressler
Joel Embiid had 19 points and 14 rebounds and Tobias Harris 24 points to lead the Sixers to a 127-112 win over the Charlotte Hornets.
Ben Simmons had 15 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to help the Sixers beat the Hornets for the 12th straight time dating to Nov. 2, 2016.
“When we’re shooting the ball like that, we’re dangerous,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We can every night. We have great shooters.”
Terry Rozier scored 35 points for the Hornets.
The Sixers are rolling in Rivers’ first season on the bench and followed a 24-point win over Orlando with another victory where they led by double digits for most of the game.
In his third season in Philly, Harris has become the catch-and-shoot 3-point ace the Sixers needed to give them another scoring threat alongside All-Stars Embiid and Simmons. Yet it was Harris’ full-court drive-and-dunk down the lane that posterized — or perhaps GIF’d in the modern era — Bismack Biyombo and left the Hornets reeling.
“He’s made a huge leap from the past year to now,” Simmons said.
The Sixers got a little something from everyone, including 21 points from Seth Curry and 13 from Danny Green, two offseason pickups the Sixers hoped would address outside shooting woes.
“The key is, we’re shooting well because we’re getting open shots,” Green said.
Harris blossomed when he played for the Clippers (43% on 3s) under Rivers before he was traded to Philadelphia in 2019. Harris stumbled from long-range in his 1 1/2 seasons with the 76ers only to find the reunion with his old coach the spark he needed to find his stroke. He hit all 3 attempts in the first half and the Sixers hit 12 of 22 overall before halftime to lead 73-58.
“They’re making my job easier when they do that,” Simmons said.
