Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

"Best" and "Worst" awards: Sixers vs. Hornets

    by Keith Pompey, The Philadelphia Inquirer
    Published 

CHARLOTTE – My look at some of the best and worst performances from the Charlotte Hornets' 92-91 victory over  the 76ers Saturday night at Time Warner Cable Arena:

Best performance: This was a tough one. But I had to give this to Gerald Henderson even though he shot just 3-for-12 from the field. The Hornets shooting guard did, however, lead his squad to victory. His layup with six seconds left gave the Hornets their go-ahead basket (92-91).  Henderson also had the defensive rebound on Ish Smith's missed shot in the closing second. The former Episcopal Academy standout finished with seven points, three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Worst performance: This has to go Lance Stephenson. The Hornets reserve guard missed all three of his field-goal attempts en route to being held scoreless in 6 minutes, 35 seconds of action. So might argue that that's not enough time to make a difference. However, Stephenson didn't warrant more playing time.  He had two turnovers, two fouls and zero rebounds.

Best defensive performance: Jerami Grant gets this award. The Sixers power forward had game highs of six blocked shots and two steals. Grant also finished with 10 points and four rebounds – all on the defensive end – and two assists.

Best performance in a losing effort: Smith wins this award after producing 15 points and team highs of nine rebounds and five assists. The point guard did miss his final three field goals and two foul shots. However, the Sixers wouldn't have been in the game without his play up that point..

Worst statistic: You have to give this to the Hornets' three-point shooting. Charlotte made just 1 of 13 three-pointers.

Best statistic: This award goes to the Sixers' blocked shots. They finished with a season-high 14. In addition to Grant's six, Furkan Aldemir and Henry Sims had two apiece. Nerlens Noel (one), Smith (one), Luc Mbah a Moute (one) and Glenn Robinson (one) had the others.

Worst of the Worst:  This award goes to Smith's performance down the stretch. Even though he was the team's best player, the point guard struggled down the stretch. He would have probably clinched the victory by making one of those basket and or foul shots.

Follow and contact Inquirer 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers