76ers' top-two defense faces Hornets' last-ranked offense

The Philadelphia 76ers (5-1), owners of the NBA's second-best defense, visit the Charlotte Hornets (3-3), the league's lowest-scoring offense, on Saturday, October 31, in a game that turns on whether Charlotte's threes fall. Tip-off is at 6:00 PM ET.

Philadelphia holds opponents to an effective field goal percentage of 48.5, second in the league, and a defensive rating of 101.4. Charlotte scores 98.9 points per 100 possessions, 30th of 30, and its effective field goal percentage of 46.9 is also the worst.

The Hornets lean on volume. Their three-point rate of 50.8 is the highest in the league, so a defense that guards the arc well gets plenty of tries to contest. Charlotte also takes the fewest free throws, so it rarely gets easy points to offset cold nights.

Offensive rebounding is the Hornets' way around it. They grab 31.8% of their own misses, fourth in the league, and Moussa Diabate averages 9.8 rebounds, 5.7 of them on the offensive end. Philadelphia ranks 20th in defensive rebounding.

Brandon Miller leads Charlotte at 24.5 points a game, though he shoots 37.3% from the field. For Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey averages 28.2 points and Joel Embiid 9.4 rebounds.

Charlotte is without Kon Knueppel (31.4 minutes a game), Coby White and Grant Williams, all out. All three are expected back Monday, November 2. Philadelphia lists Jaylen Brown as day-to-day with an expected return Saturday, and Dominick Barlow is out until Wednesday, November 4.

The 76ers have won two straight, the latest 98-93 over the Knicks. The Hornets have lost two in a row, including a 95-79 defeat at Washington.

Sportsbooks' prices give Philadelphia a 52% chance to win. Keel's projection, built from the players available, makes the 76ers 60% favorites by 3.1 points.