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76ers at Hornets: Maxey and Miller meet after a Friday game for each team

Philadelphia takes a 4-1 record into Charlotte on Saturday, while the Hornets are 3-2. Both play on Friday, and neither has submitted a game-specific injury report for their meeting at Spectrum Center.

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The lit Spectrum Center in Charlotte with fans outside the entrance in a 2016 photograph.
The exterior of Charlotte’s Spectrum Center on a Hornets game night in 2016. File photo. © Matthew D. Britt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0; archivo)

Brandon Miller scored 31 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in Detroit on Wednesday, yet Charlotte lost 97-89. Tyrese Maxey scored 17 of his 27 points in the fourth quarter of Philadelphia's comeback win at Indiana. Their performances give Saturday's meeting a compelling individual matchup, but both teams must first play on Friday. The question is how much of this week's form will carry into a second game on consecutive nights.

  • Competition: 2026-27 NBA regular season; this game is not part of the NBA Cup.
  • Matchup: Philadelphia 76ers at Charlotte Hornets.
  • Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina.
  • Tipoff: Saturday, October 31, at 6 p.m. EDT in Charlotte; 10 p.m. UTC.

Philadelphia's fourth-quarter response

The Sixers improved to 4-1 with a 114-109 win over the Pacers on Wednesday. Indiana scored the first 17 points of the third quarter and led by 13 entering the fourth. Philadelphia then outscored the Pacers 39-21. Maxey hit two late 3-pointers and finished with 27 points. Joel Embiid had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylen Brown 20 and 10, Anfernee Simons 20 off the bench, and LeBron James 13 points and 10 assists. The comeback showed the breadth of Philadelphia's attack, even if Maxey supplied the decisive shots.

The Sixers host New York in an NBA Cup group game on Friday before traveling to Charlotte. Saturday's contest is a regular-season game and the second half of a back-to-back. The Knicks result and the minutes played by James, Embiid, Brown and Maxey were still unknown when this preview was prepared. Wednesday's box score identifies Philadelphia's options; it cannot establish Saturday's rotation.

Miller's scoring, Charlotte's turnovers

Charlotte is 3-2. Miller scored 39 in Monday's 110-103 win over Washington, then put up 31 points and 12 rebounds in the defeat at Detroit. Dennis Schröder added 14 points and five assists against the Pistons. The Hornets also committed 23 turnovers and recorded 17 assists. Miller's individual production could not overcome the team's trouble protecting the ball.

Charles Lee's team visits Washington on Friday and returns home for the Sixers game. Charlotte therefore faces the same two-night turnaround. Friday's game will also provide a clearer view of its guard rotation: the most recent injury report, issued for the Wizards matchup, listed Schröder as questionable. That status does not settle whether he can play on Saturday.

Availability: Saturday reports not yet filed

The NBA's official injury report at 2:45 a.m. EDT on Friday, October 30, showed “not yet submitted” for both teams for Philadelphia at Charlotte. The following entries concerned their separate Friday games; they must not be treated as Saturday designations:

  • Philadelphia: Brown was questionable with left knee soreness. Dominick Barlow was out with a lower-back stress reaction, Tacko Fall with a left quadriceps strain, Ariel Hukporti with a right Achilles tendon rupture, and Jabari Walker with left patellar tendinopathy.
  • Charlotte: Schröder was questionable with right foot inflammation or soreness. Coby White was out with a left calf strain and Grant Williams with a right hamstring strain. Kon Knueppel was listed out on a G League assignment and Kylan Boswell out under his two-way designation.

A new report is needed to establish Brown's and Schröder's Saturday statuses. Brown gives Philadelphia another perimeter creator and defender; Schröder organizes much of Charlotte's offense. Playing on Friday would not, by itself, guarantee either man's availability the following evening.

The possession battle

Charlotte must find Miller without repeating Wednesday's 23-turnover game. Philadelphia has several scorers who could punish empty possessions, but it will also have to account for a wing who collected 12 rebounds in Detroit. Embiid gives the visitors an interior option alongside their perimeter attack. How heavily Nick Nurse can use him after Friday's Cup game remains uncertain.

Rest is the other variable. Both clubs play Friday, though Philadelphia must also travel. That difference alone cannot decide a game: the rotations and minutes in the first half of the back-to-back will shape what Lee and Nurse can ask of their teams. Maxey against Charlotte's perimeter defense and Miller against Philadelphia's wings provide more specific tests than either October record.

How to watch 76ers at Hornets

  • Venue: Spectrum Center, Charlotte.
  • Tipoff: Saturday, October 31, at 6 p.m. EDT / 3 p.m. PDT in the United States.

United States

  • TV: The 76ers' official schedule lists NBA TV for this game. It also lists NBC Sports Philadelphia and Peacock Philadelphia for the Philadelphia local market. Local access and subscriptions vary; the Philadelphia feeds are not nationwide channels.

Australia

  • Time: Sunday, November 1, at 9 a.m. AEDT in Sydney. TV and streaming: a game-specific Australian operator listing has not been confirmed.

United Kingdom

  • Time: Saturday, October 31, at 10 p.m. GMT. TV and streaming: no game-specific UK operator schedule has been confirmed.