Sixers vs. Hornets takeaways: Jeff Dowtin needs more playing time, Caleb Martin shows his worth
Dowtin contributed 11 points as a reserve point guard in the overtime victory. The Sixers still struggled on three-pointers, though.
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Jeff Dowtin deserves more minutes for the 76ers.
Caleb Martin doesn’t have to score to impact the game. And the Sixers’ three-point shooting drastically improved after halftime Sunday night only to decline again.
Those three things stood out in the Sixers’ 107-105 overtime victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Wells Fargo Center.
Dowtin shows his worth
With Tyrese Maxey sidelined with a strained right hamstring, Sixers coach Nick Nurse said he might go to Dowtin to provide point guard depth.
The two-way guard’s opportunity came Sunday. And he took full advantage of it, finishing with 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting to go with two rebounds and steal. Dowtin gave the team a spark off the bench. He also provided solid defense and his ability to make shots opened things up for teammates.
Those were all things the Sixers missed from the point guard position in Friday’s loss to the Lakers when Kyle Lowry was out of the game. They would benefit from keeping Dowtin in the rotation at least until Maxey, their All-Star point guard, returns from his injury.
Martin’s impact
The undersized power forward finished with five points on 1-for-5 shooting. However, the 6-foot-5, 205-pounder hit a huge three-pointer. He also grabbed a clutch rebound and made the game-winning foul shots in overtime. Martin also did a lot of the unheralded work. Martin set picks, hustled for loose balls, and set up teammates for easy baskets. But early on, he excelled on the defensive end. He finished with five rebounds, three assists, and career-high-tying four steals.
Night and day and back to night
Three-point shooting has been a disappointment for the Sixers this season. They made just 32.6% of their long-range attempts in their first eight games. That ranked 26th in the NBA.
So it wasn’t surprising to see the Sixers continue to miss long-range shots against the Hornets in the first half. They missed 13 of their first 14 first-half three-pointers. It had all the signs of another long shooting night.
But the Sixers, instead, responded by making 6 of 11 three-pointers in the third quarter. They went on to make just 2 of 8 three-pointers in the fourth quarter and overtime. For the game, the Sixers made just 9 of 33 threes (27.3%).