ORLANDO, Fla.-Joel Embiid had 17 points and nine rebounds in just 20 minutes and the surging Philadelphia 76ers moved closer to a playoff berth with a 118-98 victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday
night.
Ersan Ilyasova scored 18 points, leading six Philadelphia players in double figures as the 76ers (41-30) won their fifth
straight and clinched their first non-losing season in six years. Robert Covington and Marco Belinelli added 15
points.
Rodney Purvis came off the bench to score 19 points for the Magic, who have lost eight of nine. Aaron Gordon, the only Orlando starter to score in double figures, had 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Embiid and J.J. Redick combined for 10 points in a 12-0 run that left the 76ers with a 70-47 lead just before halftime.
The Magic's last lead was 14-12 after Nikola Vucevic made a 3-pointer midway through the first quarter. Belinelli scored on an inbound pass play to tie it, then hit a jump shot to put the 76ers ahead to stay. They led by double figures after the first 15 minutes and by 35 at one
point.
The 76ers played the fourth quarter without any starters for the second straight night, leaving Ben Simmons with six points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Hornets 140, Grizzlies 79
CHARLOTTE, N.C.-Kemba Walker scored 46 points and made 10 3-pointers, and the Charlotte Hornets rolled to the most lopsided victory in franchise history by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 140-79 on Thursday night.
Walker had the ninth 40-point game of his career as the Hornets easily overcame the absence of the suspended Dwight Howard. The All-Star guard hit 13 of 18 shots overall, including 10 of 14 on 3-pointers, and was 10 of 10 on free throws in 28 minutes.
He scored 17 points in the first quarter, 18 in the second quarter and 11 in the third before he was replaced for the final time with 1:48 left in the period.
It came one night after Howard's 32-point, 30-rebound performance that helped Charlotte rally from a 23-point deficit for a 111-105 victory at Brooklyn. But in the process, Howard was whistled for his 16th technical foul of the season, meaning he had to serve a one-game suspension on Thursday night.
It didn't matter as the Hornets roared ahead 12-2 in the first 4 1/2 minutes, were ahead 37-14 after one quarter, 75-42 at halftime and by a game-high 65 points (137-72) with 1:45 left before taking the 61-point win.
Charlotte's largest previous win in franchise history came by 52 points (136-84) at home against Philadelphia on Feb. 27, 1992.