No luck needed as Embiid dominates and Sixers roll Hornets

10-9-8-7 in a row. The Sixers coasted to their seventh win in a row by defeating the Charlotte Hornets 121-82 Friday night.

Joel Embiid was once again absurdly efficient in a small amount of time, shooting 16 of 21 from the field for 38 points, along with 13 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in only 29 minutes of action.

James Harden had his fifth triple-double of the season with 11-11-10, and Tobias Harris had his best offensive game in some time, putting up 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting.

Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.

First Quarter

• Joel Embiid clearly saw this foul from Wednesday’s win against the Cavs go viral.

... and clearly decided to make the shot a part of his repertoire.

• In serious analysis, it was a pedestrian opening quarter for the Sixers, with Embiid leading the way with 12 points on 4 of 8 shooting. It was a quarter full of circus shots, as Tyrese Maxey ended the first with a half-court buzzer beater.
• Charlotte kept pace with the Sixers early. Naturally, it was Terry Rozier who was the Hornets’ high scorer after one with 10 points. Still, thanks to Maxey’s heave, the Sixers managed to hold a two-point lead after the first.

Second Quarter

• It felt like the Sixers were really trying to get Tobias Harris back into some sort of rhythm, to varying degrees of success. He was a perfect from 3 of 3 downtown, as the Sixers continue to be one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league. They shot 41 percent from deep in the first half.
• But his attempts from two were rather fruitless, only hitting on a midrange post-up and royally butchering a fast break with De’Anthony Melton.
• Philly got into a rhythm as the starters returned to the game. Harden and Embiid begun to spam the pick-and-roll as it was obvious that the Hornets were overmatched. Only one of Embiid’s made baskets in the second wasn’t assisted by Harden. The Sixers cruised into the half with an 12-point lead.

Third Quarter

• Even with a double-digit lead, the score at the half felt closer than the game really was. Charlotte missed their first six shots of the second half, and the Sixers quickly capitalized by pushing the lead over 20.
• It was... a valiant attempt by Kai Jones.

• Harris was 0 of 2 from three in the third quarter, but both of his attempts came on a much quicker trigger, corner threes that he’s been passing up on an awful lot as of late. He’s been the only major aspect of this team that hasn’t been clicking as of late, so him returning to his early season form would be huge for this team. The Sixers went into the fourth with a 25-point lead.

Fourth Quarter

• It was surprising to not see Danuel House Jr. check into the game until garbage time, especially with Jalen McDaniels missing another game due to a hip injury. House has played well the last month, and there could be a point during a playoff series where the Sixers need to go to him over Georges Niang.
• While much of his work came in garbage time, it was another solid night for Paul Reed. Basketball Paul scored eight points, pulled down 10 rebounds, and blocked three shots on the night. Six of Reed’s 10 boards came on the offensive end as well, as the Sixers were able to give Embiid another early night off work. The entire team deserves credit for their defensive performance. Even with a full quarter of garbage time, they only allowed 82 points.
• The Sixers will wrap up this back-to-back in Indiana, as they’ll take on the Pacers tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET.