Player grades: Sixers knock off Hornets on the road to earn tiebreaker

CHARLOTTE, N. C. -- The Philadelphia 76ers paid a visit to the red-hot Charlotte Hornets on Saturday evening looking to pick up an important win.

When considering how tight everything is in the standings, a tiebreaker is important right now and the winner of this one earned that all-important aspect for the final standings. The Sixers had Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. return from injury, but it was a tough start as the Hornets led for most of the night.

However, Philadelphia dug deep and stayed with it to earn a much-needed 118-114 win to begin the road trip. The Sixers now lead Charlotte by two games in the standings and own the aforementioned tiebreaker. Joel Embiid had 29 points and six rebounds for Philadelphia, Paul George had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and Maxey had 26 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.

VJ Edgecombe added 13 points and five rebounds and Oubre added nine points and five rebounds. Here are the player grades following the win: Tyrese Maxey: A In his first action since early March, Maxey wasn’t looking for his shot early. He was looking to get others involved and he took an opportunity to score when it presented itself.