With LeBron James and Joel Embiid sitting out, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown combined for 54 points in the 76ers' win over the Hornets on Saturday. (Mitchell Leff via Getty Images) Ian Casselberry Contributing writer Sun, November 1, 2026 at 1:01 AM UTC · 4 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement In this story Jaylen Brown returned to the Philadelphia 76ers' lineup in a 109-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday after missing Friday's NBA Cup opener with left patellar tendinopathy .
Brown was listed as questionable on the Sixers' injury report throughout the day, but was upgraded to available on the 5:15 p.m. update after participating in pregame shootaround.
However, with Philadelphia playing the second of back-to-back games, LeBron James (sciatica management) and Joel Embiid (right foot, plantar fascia management) sat out Saturday's game.
As could perhaps be expected for a team playing for the second consecutive night, the Sixers came out sluggish to begin the game. Tyrese Maxey was their only offense, scoring 15 points as the Hornets took a 37-27 lead. Brown had only 1 point in the first quarter.
To be fair, Charlotte was also playing the second of back-to-back games and perhaps used up most of its fuel in the first quarter. Philadelphia outscored the Hornets 30-17 in the second and went into halftime leading 57-54.
Maxey and Charlotte's Grayson Allen put on a first-half duel, each scoring 19 points and shooting well from behind the arc. Allen swished 5 of 6 3-point shots, while Maxey went 3-for-5. Brown still struggled with his shot, going into the half with only 5 points.
The Hornets reasserted themselves in the third quarter, taking an eight-point lead on a 14-4 run powered by six points from Naz Reid. Philadelphia cut its deficit to 79-77 on 3-pointers from Maxey and Anfernee Simons, but Charlotte scored the last four points of the quarter to take a six-point lead into the final 12 minutes.
Tempers flared a bit midway through the fourth quarter after Allen poked the ball away from Brown under the Charlotte basket. The two went to the floor battling for the loose ball. Brown and Allen exchanged shoves before teammates stepped in to separate them. Both players were assessed technical fouls.
Allen hit a 3 with 3:41 remaining in the fourth to push the Hornets ahead 101-94. But Simons and Maxey combined to score the next eight points and the Sixers took a 102-101 lead. After Brandon Miller missed a short turnaround jumper, VJ Edgecombe hit a stepback 3 over Allen to put Philadelphia up by four.
Sion James missed on the Hornets' next possession, and Maxey got two free throws after drawing a foul on Allen to give the Sixers a 107-101 lead with 23.8 seconds left in regulation.
Miller sank a 3 to cut Philadelphia's lead to three points with 6.5 seconds remaining. But coming out of a timeout, Dean Wade found Brown cutting to the basket and drawing a foul. He swished two free throws to clinch the Sixers' win.
Maxey finished with 38 points, adding 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals to lead the 76ers. Simons followed with 19 off the bench, shooting 5-for-9 on 3-pointers. And after a slow start, Brown tallied 16 points, but shot 6-for-15 from the floor while also getting 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Wade had 10 assists as the 76ers improved to 6-1 (3-0 on the road).
For the Hornets, Allen missed only three shots from the floor (including going 7 of 10 on 3s) to score 27 points. Miller added 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, while Reid finished with 14 points and 5 boards. Charlotte dropped to 3-4, including a 2-2 mark at home.
Both teams are off until Monday after playing back-to-backs. Philadelphia hosts the Chicago Bulls (1-5), while the Hornets face the Detroit Pistons (5-1) at home.
Source: Sports
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