The Sixers aren’t just down players. They are down in size, too.
Nerlens Noel (6-11), Richaun Holmes (6-10) and Jerami Grant (6-8) missed Tuesday’s game against the Hornets, adding to the absence of 6-11 Jahlil Okafor.
Without their bigs, the Sixers have shifted their offense to a long-range approach. They shot 16 for 44 from three-point range, tying a franchise record in makes and setting a new mark in single-game attempts.
It still wasn't enough to keep pace with the playoff-hungry Hornets in a 100-85 loss at the Wells Fargo Center (see Instant Replay). The defeat was the Sixers' 10th in a row to drop them to 9-66 on the season.
"That is a high volume of threes," Brett Brown said. "But I think, by and large, the team you’re looking at is not the team that we started with, and I hope we play to our strengths.”
Forced to play with a smaller lineup, the Sixers have attempted nearly 150 threes over the last four games, shooting 46 for 149 (30.9 percent). Noel has missed the last four games because of a right knee contusion. Holmes left Saturday’s game with a right Achilles strain, and Grant exited Sunday’s contest with a right knee and quad contusion.
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The Sixers had 10 healthy players against the Hornets. Of those, seven attempted a three. Robert Covington scored all 18 of his points from beyond the arc (6 for 14). Both Isaiah Canaan and Ish Smith shot 3 for 8.
“We shot some really good shots, just missed some,” Smith said. “A lot of them went in and out. That’s how the game goes.”
They mostly went in for the Hornets. Charlotte had four players score in double figures, including Nicolas Batum, who had a triple-double with 19 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists.
The Sixers nearly doubled their season averages Tuesday. The Sixers entered the game averaging 8.8 made threes (tied with the Celtics for 11th in the league) and 26.3 attempts (10th in the NBA). They are tied with the Celtics for 26th with 33.4 percent shooting from long distance.
While the Sixers are depending on their long-range game, they struggled closer to the basket. They shot 30 for 96 from the field and scored a season-low 22 points in the paint.
But with Noel and Grant out again on Friday against the Hornets in Charlotte and no timeframe set for Holmes to return, the Sixers have to adjust to the players available.
“By and large, if we’re open I want our guys shooting, especially with the roster that we have right now,” Brown said. “I think it’s our best chance to win, to catch fire from three and find ways to score with the group that we have.”