The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Charlotte Hornets, 118-114, at Spectrum Center on Tuesday evening.

The 76ers (46-25) likely figured they'd be in for a wire-to-wire battle against the increasingly desperate Hornets (31-39), which were in desperate need of a win to stay alive for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia was also resting Joel Embiid for the contest, which made their challenge that much greater, and Charlotte had lost the prior three meetings between the teams by a combined total of just six points. True to form, the contest was a back-and-forth-affair until the closing seconds, when Nicolas Batum missed a tip-in that would have tied it at 116 with approximately one second remaining and Tobias Harris drained a pair of subsequent free throws for the win.

Ben Simmons led the way in Embiid's absence with 28 points, adding eight rebounds, five assists, two blocks and one steal. J.J. Redick followed with a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included eight assists. Jimmy Butler provided 23 points, nine assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block. Tobias Harris generated a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one steal. James Ennis III led the second unit with 14 points.

Jeremy Lamb paced the Hornets with 26 points and also contributed 11 rebounds and three assists. Kemba Walker turned in 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal. Frank Kaminsky pitched in 14 points, three rebounds, two assists and one block. Dwayne Bacon managed 13 points and three boards. Nicolas Batum supplied nine points, four rebounds, one assist and one block. Miles Bridges furnished eight points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals.

The 76ers return home to face the Boston Celtics on Wednesday evening, while the Hornets remain home to tangle with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.