National Basketball Association

Covington leads 76ers past Hornets for fourth straight home win

Published Feb. 7, 2015 10:33 p.m. ET

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PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers used defense and effort to push their home winning streak to four.

Robert Covington scored 11 of his 22 points in a pivotal third quarter, leading Philadelphia to an 89-81 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday night.

"We just locked in on the defensive end," Covington said.

The four-game home streak is the 76ers' longest since the 2012-13 season. Philadelphia was 3-18 at home this season before the run.

"They played harder than we did, they outworked us and that's why we lost," Hornets coach Steve Clifford said.

Hollis Thompson added 18 points for Philadelphia. The 76ers will face Western Conference-leading Golden State at home Monday night.

Al Jefferson had 18 points and Gerald Henderson 17 for Charlotte, which lost for just the fourth time in 16 games.

"They just played harder than us. We didn't come with the effort at all," Henderson said. "They're going to bring effort every night. You have to match that."

Charlotte's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist did not return after leaving with a right hamstring strain with 5:24 left in the first half. Kidd-Gilchrist will have an MRI on Sunday, and Clifford expects him to miss at least the next two games.

Michael Carter-Williams missed his second straight game with a right toe injury, and Philadelphia earned its first win in 11 games without its starting point guard in the lineup. Carter-Williams' injury pressed Tim Frazier into the starting lineup. Frazier, signed to a 10-day contract Thursday, had 11 assists in his NBA debut in Philadelphia's 107-96 loss at Boston on Friday night.

Frazier finished with eight assists while going scoreless.

Philadelphia coach Brett Brown was proud of his team's performance, especially minus Carter-Williams and due to the early morning arrival in Philadelphia after the loss Friday night.

"I'm proud of the mental toughness and the resiliency not to roll over," he said. "On many levels, I'm just thrilled with the group."

Covington finished 7 for 15 from the field, including 5 for 10 from 3-point range.

BUSTED LIP

Henderson was holding an ice pack on a swollen and bloody lip in the locker room after taking an elbow to the face in the third quarter. Henderson was whistled for a foul on the play.

FRAZIER PRAISE

Brown praised Frazier's performance in his second NBA game.

"He did a heck of a job of pushing the ball and finding shooters," Brown said.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Assistant coach Patrick Ewing sat in the same seats as his college team, Georgetown, did earlier Saturday in a 69-53 loss to Villanova. ... Henderson, a Philadelphia-area native whose dad played for the 76ers, entered shooting 33.3 percent from the field in his career in Philadelphia.

76ers: Frazier is one of six players since 1985-86 to have 10 or more assists in his NBA debut. .... The 76ers also snapped a streak of 21 straight defeats without Carter-Williams in the lineup dating to last season.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host Indiana on Sunday.

76ers: Host Golden State on Monday night.