Hornets vs. Sixers at a glance
Charlotte Hornets vs. 76ers at a glance
TEAMS: Hornets (20-19) vs. Sixers (11-25)
WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday
WHERE: Wells Fargo Center
BROADCASTS: TV – CSN RADIO – 97.5 FM
SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE: TWITTER – @PompeyOnSixers, INSTAGRAM – PompeyOnSixers
411 ON HORNETS: Charlotte is in desperate need of a victory. The Hornets have lost three straight and five of the last six games. However, Charlotte's last two losses came to two of the league's top teams in the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets.
They look for Friday's game as a matchup to help get them back on track. The team is expected to welcome back Nic Batum, who missed the past two games with hyperextended knee. He will be a welcome addition for the Hornets.
The shooting guard is perhaps the best-around player. Meanwhile, Kemba Walker is regarded as the team's best player. He has second most three-pointers made (106) in the Eastern Conference. Walker has also scored 20 or more points in 27 games played this season,
PROBABLE STARTERS
HORNETS (20-19)
14 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist SF 6-7 8.9 ppg. 7.1 rpg.
2 Marvin Williams PF 6-9 10.6 ppg 5.4 rpg.
40 Cody Zeller C 7-0 10.7 ppg. 6.3 rpg.
5 Nic Batum SG 6-8 15.1 ppg. 7.4 rpg.
15 Kemba Walker PG 6-1 23.1 ppg. 5.5 apg.
Coach: Steve Glifford (fourth season, 144-141)
Injury report: Jeremy Lamb (metatarsalgia, out), Nic Batum (hyperextended right knee, probable)
SIXERS (11-25)
33 Robert Covington SF 6-9 10.3 ppg. 1.79 spg.
7 Ersan Ilyasova PF 6-10 14.3 ppg. 6.3 rpg.
21 Joel Embiid C 7-2 19.4 ppg. 2.31 bpg.
11 Nik Stauskas SG 6-6 9.2 ppg. 2.0 apg.
1 T.J. McConnell PG 6-2 4.9 ppg. 5.3 apg.
Coach: Brett Brown (Fourth season, 58-224)
Injury report: Ben Simmons (right foot fracture, out), Jerryd Bayless, (left wrist ligament tear, out), Joel Embiid (left ankle sprain, probable)
THE SERIES
The Hornets hold a 58-40 series advantage and have won the last six meetings.
LAS VEGAS LINE
Hornets are a 4 ½ -point favorite
LAST SERIES MEETING: In his first game as a Sixer, Ilyasova tied for the team high with 14 points and added three rebounds and two assists in a 109-93 setback to the Hornets on Nov. 2.
The Sixers had a 53-46 lead at the half. However, the Hornets (3-1) started to break the game open by scoring the first 13 points of the third quarter. They never looked back.
Charlotte outscored the Sixers' 39 to 20 and shot 72 percent in the decisive quarter. Batum scored 17 of his 20 points in the third.
Walker finished the game with 22 points to go with seven assists. Dario Saric shared top scoring honors with Ilyasova with 14 points.
Sixers center Jahlil Okafor added 12 points and five rebounds in a reserve role one night after sitting out the loss to Orlando Magic. He came off the bench because he was restricted to 24 minutes due to right knee soreness.
The Sixers were without Joel Embiid, who doesn't play on back-to-back nights.
UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday: 8 p.m., at Verizon Center, Sixers vs. Washington Wizards
Monday: 3:30 p.m., at BMO Harris Bradley Center, Sixers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Wednesday: 7 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Toronto Raptors vs. Sixers.
Jan. 20: 7 p.m., at Wells Fargo Center, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Sixers
Jan. 21: 7 p.m., at Philips Arena, Sixers at Atlanta Hawks
Follow and contact 76ers beat writer Keith Pompey on Twitter and on Instagram at PompeyOnSixers.