Philadelphia @ Charlotte preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 2, 2018 ) Charlotte 99, Philadelphia 110

The Philadelphia 76ers slipped a bit in their quest to earn homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a loss at the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, and the road has generally been a difficult thing to master for the young squad. The 76ers will take another crack at winning away from home when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday.

Philadelphia is one of six teams angling for the No. 3 spot in the East but owns the worst road record of that bunch at 14-18 and will play only six more games away from home after finishing up the current four-game trip. The 76ers, who are winners of 13 straight at home, held a 19-point, third-quarter lead at Milwaukee on Sunday but finished the game with 26 turnovers and ended up falling 118-110. "You see teams just crawl into our chins," Philadelphia coach Brett Brown told reporters. "How we react and respond is going to be a key influence to how successful we are." The Hornets know how strong the 76ers are at home and dropped a 110-99 decision at Philadelphia on Friday before finishing off a brutal road trip with a 103-98 setback at East-leading Toronto on Sunday.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Charlotte)

ABOUT THE 76ERS (34-28): Philadelphia rookie point guard Ben Simmons recorded six of his team's turnovers on Sunday but also matched a season high and a franchise rookie record with 15 assists. "We just kept turning the ball over," Simmons told reporters. "We got to execute, and we got to take care of the ball." Simmons is locked in a battle for NBA Rookie of the Year honors with Utah's Donovan Mitchell and is averaging 17.3 points on 60.2 percent shooting and 8.9 assists in seven games since the All-Star break.

ABOUT THE HORNETS (28-36): Charlotte had the misfortune of playing the Boston Celtics, 76ers and Raptors in consecutive road games and dropped all three, though the best performance was the last as it pushed the East leaders to the wire in a 103-98 setback. "(In the) fourth quarter it was purpose of play on both ends of the floor," Hornets coach Steve Clifford told reporters. "We had purposeful offense, smart play and very good defense. Like I told them, if we are serious about making a run here, that's what we're capable of." Charlotte is trying to make a run toward a postseason spot and entered play on Monday 5 1/2 games behind eighth-place Miami.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. 76ers SG JJ Redick is 18-of-30 from the field, including 10-of-17 from beyond the arc, over the last three games.

2. Hornets SG Nicolas Batum is averaging 9.4 assists over the last five games, raising his season average to 5.3.

3. Philadelphia won its last trip to Charlotte 105-99 on Feb. 13, 2017.

PREDICTION: 76ers 106, Hornets 104