Sixers silence the noise in Charlotte

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Sixers bounced back from their letdown loss on Sunday with a 128-114 victory Tuesday over the Hornets at Spectrum Center. 

After emphasizing the importance of “team” basketball, six players scored in double figures for the Sixers. Robert Covington led the team with 22 points, followed by Dario Saric (19), Joel Embiid (18), Ben Simmons (16), JJ Redick (14), Marco Belinelli and Ersan Ilyasova (11 each). 

The Sixers also cut back significantly on their turnovers, committing only 14 compared to 26 against the Bucks in their previous game. 

The Sixers improved to 35-28, sixth place in the East. They remain one game back of fifth after the Wizards notched an OT win over the Heat.

• Luckily there are still two meetings left between the Sixers and Hornets this season for more Embiid vs. Dwight Howard. Late in the game, Embiid threw down a backboard-shaking slam. Howard answered with a one-handed alley-oop dunk. Embiid posted 18 points (10 through three quarters), five rebounds and four assists. Howard finished with 30 points and six boards. 

• Simmons recorded his 25th double-double of the season by adding a game-high 13 dimes to his 16 points. He shot an efficient 8 for 9 from the field. 

• Kemba Walker was ice cold for most of the night. The All-Star guard shot 1 for 9 from the field and 0 for 5 from three. He scored five points, well below his 23.2 points this season. Walker did dish seven assists. 

• The game was chippier at points than the final score reflected. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was issued two techs and ejected with 3:52 to play in the first half. Howard was called for a tech less than two minutes later. In the third, Embiid was T’ed up. 

• Hall of Famer Allen Iverson took in the game from the row behind the Sixers’ bench. 

• Sixers fans showed up once again on the road. When Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly was shown on the Jumbotron, Sixers fans responded with an “E-A-G-L-E-S” chant. Embiid and Fultz signed autographs for them before the game.

• Justin Anderson played for the first time since suffering a right ankle sprain Feb. 12. Anderson checked in for the final 1:30 of the lopsided game. Richaun Holmes and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot also got in late minutes. 

• The Sixers scored at least 70 first-half points in back-to-back games (71 against the Hornets). They had not done so since November of 1992. That’s well before most of the current team was born. 

• Up next: The Sixers will return to Miami on Thursday a week after losing at the buzzer at the hands of Dwyane Wade.  

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