CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jerami Grant and Hollis Thompson scored 17 points each but the Sixers saw their losing streak extended to 11 games with a 100-91 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Elton Brand added 13 points and 11 rebounds, Carl Landry had 16 points and Nik Stauskas 11 for the Sixers, who trailed by as many as 16 points before making a late run.
Kemba Walker led the Hornets with 27 points and 11 rebounds. Nicolas Batum added 19 points and Al Jefferson scored 13 off the bench.
The loss ensures the Sixers the worst record in the NBA this season.
Turning point
There were two, actually.
The Sixers actually hung with the Hornets early, and were leading, 32-29, with 9:36 remaining in the second quarter. But Charlotte went on a 13-3 run over the next 2½ minutes to take the lead.
NBA
The run was highlighted by a pair of three-point plays — by Jefferson and Jeremy Lamb — off Sixers fouls, and capped by five straight points from Frank Kaminsky (a fast-break dunk off a steal, followed by a three-pointer).
The Hornets would go on to lead by as many as 11 points later in the quarter, and were up 59-50 at the halftime break.
After going down by as many as 16 points in the second half, the Sixers rallied to cut the Hornets’ lead to four points, 87-83, on two free throws by Brand with 4:57 left.
But the Hornets responded by scoring 10 unanswered points, led by a pair of three-pointers from Walker, to push their lead back to 97-83 with 2:55 remaining.
Stat sheet
Grant, back in the lineup after missing the Sixers’ home game against the Hornets on Tuesday, was 5 of 10 from the field (including 1 of 2 on three-pointers) in 20 minutes Friday. He also hit 2 of 3 from the line.
Thompson was the Sixers’ biggest three-point threat, making 5 of 9 from outside the arc. He finished making 6 of 12 from the field.
Landry had the best shooting night for the Sixers, making 8 of 13 from the field. He also had eight rebounds.
Brand, coming off the bench, had his first double-double of the season for the Sixers. He was 5 of 9 from the field, and 3 of 3 from the line.
Off night for Ish
Ish Smith, who was born in nearby Concord, North Carolina, had an off night for the Sixers in front of his hometown crowd Friday. He finished with four points on 2 of 9 shooting (including 0 of 4 three-pointers), and also had five assists and seven rebounds.
By the numbers
The Hornets, seventh in the league in three-point shooting at 36.2 percent, made just 2 of 10 (20 percent) in the first half and 7 of 27 for the game (25.9 percent).
But Charlotte made up for it by shooting 51.2 percent from the field (21 of 41) and making 15 of 18 free throws over the first two quarters, and 36 of 84 from the field (42.9 percent) and 21 of 27 from the line for the game.
On the other hand, the Sixers shot 40 percent from the field (18 of 45) — including 6 of 20 three-pointers — and 8 of 13 free throws in the first half, and 33 of 90 from the field (including 10 of 39 three-pointers) and 15 of 21 from the line for the game.
Sidelined
While Grant (right knee and quad contusion) returned to the Sixers’ lineup in a minutes-limited role Friday, Nerlens Noel sat out his fifth straight game with a right knee contusion. The Sixers were also missing Richaun Holmes (right Achilles strain).
Another sweep
Friday’s loss gave the Hornets a 4-0 season sweep of the Sixers, the 16th by an opponent this season. With six games remaining, the Sixers can add to that total, as their opponents — the Indiana Pacers (2-0), New Orleans Pelicans (1-0), New York Knicks (3-0), Milwaukee Bucks (2-0), Toronto Raptors (3-0) and Chicago Bulls (3-0) — are a combined 14-0 against the Sixers this season.
Up next
The Sixers play their 18th back-to-back this season when they travel to Indianapolis to face the Pacers on Saturday night.