By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Tip-off: 7:00 pm ❖ Location: Philadelphia, PA ❖ TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia ❖ Radio: 97.5 The Fanatic
The Philadelphia 76ers (33-27) look to take momentum from their road win in Cleveland into their Friday night matchup as the Charlotte Hornets (28-34) visit the Wells Fargo Center for the first time this season. The Sixers have won eight of their last 10 games and the Hornets have won five of six.
This game will be the first of four meetings between the Sixers and Hornets over the next month. They'll play tonight and March 19 in Philadelphia and in Charlotte on March 6 and April 1. It's a bit odd to think that it's March and the Sixers still have four games against Charlotte and three against Brooklyn while being finished with the Celtics and Raptors.
Home Cookin'
The Sixers return home for the first time since February 24 this evening and it will be their only home game in their next five contests. Right after playing the Hornets, they hit the road for stops in Milwaukee, Charlotte, Miami and Brooklyn.
Since the turn of the calendar year, the Sixers are 12-0 inside the confines of the Wells Fargo Center. Their one "home" loss was their London defeat against the Celtics. Overall in 2018 home games, including the Celtics matchup overseas, the Sixers are shooting 48.6 percent from the floor (6th in NBA), 39 percent from beyond the arc (5th in NBA), average 46.7 rebounds per game (3rd in NBA), 27.2 assists (4th in NBA), and 8.8 steals (T-2nd in NBA).
Their Net Rating at home of 110.5 is good for eighth in the league while their defensive rating at home of 97.2 is tops in the NBA.
Michael Carter-Williams returns to Philadelphia
A name from the beginning of "The Process" you don't really hear anymore is Michael Carter-Williams. The former first-round pick and 2013-14 Rookie of the Year was shipped to Milwaukee for a future first-round pick in a three-team deal with the Bucks and Suns. That pick (LAL via PHX) could end up conveying in the 2018 NBA Draft to Philadelphia.
MCW put together a really solid rookie campaign numbers-wise on a bad Sixers team, averaging 16.7 points, 6.3 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. After 41 games with the Sixers in the 2014-15 season, Sam Hinkie dealt the former No. 11 overall pick to Milwaukee in a day of trading that also saw K.J. McDaniels get sent to Houston.
At the time, a lot of people were unsure what to make of the deal, because MCW had displayed the potential to run a young Sixers team and build chemistry with then teammate Nerlens Noel. Until the Sixers actually use the Lakers pick, it's tough to tell whether that deal was a win or wash for Philadelphia. MCW hasn't panned out, but LA's pick could convey to Boston if it lands between 2-5.
Since leaving Philadelphia, injuries and inconsistent play have plagued Carter-Williams. He missed 28 games in 2015-16 and 37 games last season with Chicago before signing a one-year, $2.7 million contract with Charlotte in July. MCW gets around 16 minutes per game off the bench behind Kemba Walker, averaging 4.7 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 34.4 percent from the floor.
In five games against Philadelphia since getting traded, MCW is averaging 13.2 points.
Simmons earns third Rookie of the Month Award
Now that we've talked about a former Sixers Rookie of the Year, let's move on to 2017-18 Rookie of the Year candidate Ben Simmons, who nabbed his third Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month award on Thursday for games played in February.
Simmons, 21, averaged 16 points, 7.7 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 11 games during the month of February. He led all Eastern Conference rookies in scoring and rebounds while his assists per game number was best among all rookies and good seventh overall in the league. Ben's two steals per game ranked sixth best in the NBA during February.
Simmons tallied a rookie-leading four double-doubles in February while also registering the sixth triple-double of his young career. Simmons' double-double (23) and triple-double (6) totals are tops among rookies and his six triple-doubles are good for a third-place tie in the NBA with Nikola Jokic and behind only LeBron James (12) and Russell Westbrook (18).
Playoff Seeding Update
With 22 games left on the schedule for the Sixers, the playoff picture is becoming a little clearer. At the same time, there are plenty of games remaining for a team like Charlotte and Detroit to make the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After their win in Cleveland on Thursday, Philadelphia is in sole possession of the sixth seed in the East, a half game out of Indiana in fifth, two games back of Washington in fourth and 2.5 games behind the third place Cleveland Cavaliers. The Sixers are a half game ahead of Milwaukee and two games above Miami in the standings. Philadelphia plays Milwaukee on Sunday, Miami on March 8 and Indiana on March 13.
The Hornets have been hot since the All-Star Break, posting a 4-1 record since they resumed play on February 22. Charlotte finds themselves 10th overall in the Eastern Conference with 18 games left on their schedule, six games outside of the final seed. They're 1.5 games behind the Pistons for ninth place and four games up on the 11th place Knicks. Nine of Charlotte's final 18 games are against teams in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Projected Lineups
| Matchup Preview | March 2, 2018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Charlotte Hornets (28-34, 10-19 Away) |
Philadelphia 76ers (33-27, 19-10 Home) |
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