CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Sixers overcome a second hit to the starting lineup Sunday to pull off a 119-102 victory over the Hornets, extending their winning streak to 10 games and improving to 46-30.
The Sixers have not won 10 straight since the beginning of the 2000-01 season.
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"The spirit of the group has been excellent," Brett Brown said. "We are playing good basketball, and I am sure because of all of that, it is all interconnected. Our 10 wins have those types of qualities."
Daric Saric joined Joel Embiid on the injury list after being sidelined by a sore right elbow (see story). He actually suffered the injury Wednesday, the same game in which Embiid was hurt (orbital fracture, concussion), but played Friday.
• The Sixers plugged Ersan Ilyasova into the starting lineup, the role he had for the team last season. Ilyasova fouled out with 16 points and three rebounds in 27 minutes.
“He’s a vet, he knows how to play the game,” Simmons said of Ilyasova pregame. “He knows what we need from him to step up and hit shots and make plays.”
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The Sixers also shifted Robert Covington over to power forward at times. He picked off a massive seven steals.
• Simmons fell two rebounds shy of his 12th triple-double, yet his 35th double-double still was impressive. Simmons posted 20 points, 15 assists and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.
"All over the place, his presence, his disposition, and lately his voice I think reeks of leadership," Brown said.
There were too many highlight plays to include all of them in here, so check out this one which sums up his game:
• Marco Belinelli stood out off the bench. Not for his game-high 22 points, but the fact he scored them off an efficient 9 for 10 shooting from the field. His veteran experience is apparent with his shot selection.
"I just love to play with these guys," Belinelli said.
• Markelle Fultz found his teammates more Sunday than the previous game. He dished four assists (compared to zero Friday) and looked to get them shots along the three-point line. Fultz scored four points (2 of 5 FG) and pulled down one rebound in 16 minutes.
• The Sixers tallied 36 assists on 48 made field goals. Sunday was the ninth-straight game that they've recorded 30-plus assists, which set a franchise record.
• The Spectrum Center was filled with Sixers fans, many whom arrived early to try to catch the players walking off the court after warmups. Among the jerseys spotted were Embiid, Simmons, Fultz, Allen Iverson and … Zach Ertz.