By KEVIN COONEY (Associated Press)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tyrese Maxey brushed off a bloody nose caused by Brandon Miller’s hard foul to score 30 points, Kelly Oubre Jr. contributed 22 and the Philadelphia 76ers resisted a fourth-quarter push to defeat the Charlotte Hornets 109-98 on Saturday night.
Buddy Hield scored 14 points and Paul Reed added 11 for the 76ers (37-30), who have struggled with an 8-13 record since Joel Embiid’s meniscus injury at the end of January to fall into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, putting them in danger of having to take part in the play-in tournament.
Tre Mann scored 21 points and Miles Bridges added 14 for Charlotte (17-51), which has lost six straight to Philadelphia and nine of its last 12 overall.
Charlotte had trailed for most of the night, but took an 89-88 lead after two free throws by Bridges concluded an 18-9 run with about five minutes remaining. After that point, Maxey and Oubre seized control on the offensive end, driving to the basket and through the Hornets defense.
Charlotte played the second half without Miller, the No. 2 pick in the draft, who was ejected following a Flagrant 2 in the second quarter for an elbow that connected with Maxey’s head on the offensive end of the floor. Miller finished with six points and three fouls in 15 minutes.
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