Charlotte Hornets hold off Victor Wembanyama’s San Antonio Spurs for sixth NBA win in a row

LOS ANGELES – Brandon Miller scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds to power the Charlotte Hornets over the San Antonio Spurs 111-106 on Jan 31 for their sixth consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) triumph.

Miller, taken just behind Spurs top pick Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft, helped the hosts hold on after San Antonio sliced their 20-point lead to 106-104 with 97 seconds remaining.

After Wembanyama missed a potential tying three-pointer, Miller sank two free throws – running his streak of made shots from the line to 38 – with 10.6 seconds remaining to create the final margin of victory.

“Got to take my hat off to them. Very competitive players,” Miller said of the Spurs’ fightback.

“Everybody came out with the mindset of competing at the highest level and making every winning play they can and that’s how we got the win.”

Collin Sexton added 21 off the bench and LaMelo Ball scored 16 points with eight rebounds and eight assists for Charlotte, whose winning streak is their longest since March 2016.

Spurs reserve Dylan Harper scored 20 points. French All-Star Wembanyama had 16 points and eight rebounds while Stephon Castle added 16 points and nine assists.

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid scored 40 points and added 11 rebounds to help the 76ers hold on for a 124-114 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans, hours after Sixers star Paul George was suspended 25 games for violating the NBA Anti-Drug Program.

George told ESPN he mistakenly took an unapproved medication as part of mental health treatment, vowing to use his time away to be ready to help the team when he is eligible to return in March.

Without him, the 76ers had to battle. Former NBA Most Valuable Player Embiid scored 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Philadelphia led by as many as 15 in the first half and took a six-point lead into the final frame.

Embiid’s turnover set up a Jose Alvarado three-pointer that put New Orleans up 105-104 midway through the fourth, but Embiid’s turnaround jump shot with 3:48 remaining broke a 109-109 tie with 3:48 remaining and the Sixers pulled away for a third straight win.

“I actually think I had a bad game,” Embiid said of his first 40-point game of the season. “I missed a lot of easy shots. The efficiency wasn’t there, but I’m glad we locked in in the fourth quarter.

“We got some stops and we made the right plays.”

Kelly Oubre Jr added 19 points and 10 rebounds and Tyrese Maxey scored 18 points for Philadelphia. Saddiq Bey led the Pelicans with 34 points.

Elsewhere, Indiana guard Andrew Nebhard scored 26 points, Pascal Siakam added 25 and Aaron Nesmith chipped in 23 as the Pacers held off the Atlanta Hawks 129-124.

The Pacers emerged from a high-scoring first half with an 80-73 lead and never trailed after the break, although the Hawks kept it close and twice cut the deficit to one point in the fourth quarter before Indiana managed to pull away.

In Memphis, the Minnesota Timberwolves, fuelled by 33 points from Anthony Edwards and 27 from Julius Randle, notched their fourth straight victory, 131-114 over the Grizzlies.

In Houston, Amen Thompson scored 21 points with eight rebounds and nine assists to lead the Rockets to a 111-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Six Houston players scored in double figures as the Rockets closed out a narrow win, despite a 34-point, 12-rebound performance from the Mavs’ 19-year-old rookie Cooper Flagg. AFP