About that guarantee: the Philadelphia 76ers were more than aware of what Nic Batum said Saturday, and rather perturbed about it.
Former Charlotte Bobcat Gerald Henderson made sure of that, texting all his Sixers teammates Monday morning. That was after Henderson read what Batum said – that the Hornets would win Monday and, in response to a question by the Observer’s Scott Fowler, that was a guarantee.
Looks like the guarantee backfired. The Sixers looked plenty motivated, outrebounding the Hornets 51-33 during a six-point victory at the Spectrum Center.
In essence, the message the Sixers sent back was that the Hornets, at 24-31, aren’t good enough to look down on a team only three games further back in the Eastern Conference standings.