Sixers takeaways: Joel Embiid, Paul George sorely missed, guards struggle, and more from embarrassing loss to Hornets

The 76ers find themselves in dire predicaments when Joel Embiid and Paul George are both sidelined. On Monday, the squad’s performance was downright embarrassing without the two maximum-salary players.

Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe must play much better than they showed against the Charlotte Hornets.

And the Sixers must improve their three-point shooting.

Those things stood out in a 130-93 loss to the Hornets on Monday at the Spectrum Center.

Embiid and George missed this matchup because they are not yet cleared to play on back-to-back days as both deal with left knee injury management.

They are expected to return for Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. But the Sixers (24-21) looked lost on both ends of the floor against Charlotte (19-28) without the standouts.

The Hornets did a great job of attacking the rim. On defense, Charlotte challenged everything the Sixers attempted. For their part, the Sixers appeared flat and in need of better communication on both ends of the floor without their stars.

» READ MORE: What is the Sixers’ biggest need at the NBA trade deadline? Patience.

The Sixers struggled through 33.3% shooting — missing 11 of 14 three-pointers — in the first half. During that time, the Hornets scored 38 points in the paint, a fact that was likely impacted by Embiid’s absence. As a result, the Hornets took a 69-44 advantage into intermission. The 25-point margin was the Sixers’ second-biggest halftime deficit of the season.

Nick Nurse’s team also struggled at the start when Embiid and George both missed the game against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 11. The Sixers shot 37.8% while making just 2 of 14 three-pointers and trailing by double digits in the first half of that game. They mounted a second-half comeback before losing in overtime against Toronto.

But on Monday, the Hornets opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run and led by as many as 50 points late in the period.

The Sixers made just 38.9% of their shots in the game while surrendering 56.6% to Charlotte. Hornets wing Brandon Miller led all scorers with 30 points. Meanwhile, Moussa Diabaté put together a personal slam-dunk contest and finished with 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting.

The Sixers must find a way to play when undermanned. They can’t use the absences of Embiid and George as an excuse for losing to one of the league’s worst teams in epic fashion.

A couple of weeks ago, the Sixers lost to a Denver Nuggets squad playing without its entire starting lineup. Denver found a way to win, and the Sixers must do the same.

But against Charlotte, they lacked energy and cohesion.

Maxey and Edgecombe had one of their worst games of the season as a pairing.

Maxey, who was named an All-Star starter last week, finished with a season-low six points on 3-for-12 shooting, along with seven assists and three turnovers in 25 minutes, 18 seconds. Edgecombe, a standout rookie, had nine points while making 2 of 11 shots to go with six rebounds, one assist, and two turnovers in 25:44. They were tied at minus-36. With the game out of hand, Maxey and Edgecombe sat out the fourth quarter.

This was a shockingly bad performance by Maxey, who entered Monday as the NBA’s third-leading scorer at 29.9 points. Meanwhile, Edgecombe is a rookie of the year candidate. They must play better for the Sixers to be victorious, especially in games when Embiid and George are sidelined.

The Sixers struggled, once again, from three-point distance.

For the game, they made just 9 of 30 shots for 30% from deep.

This comes after the Sixers shot a combined 32.0% in their previous 10 games. They were ranked 16th for the season at 35.4% heading into the game. But they’ve been in a funk in most of their recent games from behind the arc.