After the shorthanded Hospital Sixers put together an admirable run of play and wins while Joel Embiid and James Harden were sidelined, the team has stumbled into a rough spell of typically Sixersy play over the last week.
They went on a lacklustre three-game losing streak, full of dull offensive stretches and weaker defense, before blowing a 16-point lead in the final five minutes and only beating the Lakers in overtime, 133-122, on Friday.
On Sunday, as they ideally continue the better parts of their performance against the Lakers, the Sixers have a chance to get rolling against a weaker opponent: the 7-19 Hornets, who sit all the way down in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.