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CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nicolas Batum is learning that sometimes he needs to be a little more selfish on the court -- for the good of his team.The Hornets $120 million man bounced back from a slow start to the season by scoring 17 of his 20 points in a pivotal third quarter to help Charlotte overcome a seven-point halftime deficit and defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-93 on Wednesday nightIve got to play for myself sometimes, Batum said. In the third quarter, I felt like I came out and stepped up my game.Did he ever.Batum, who came into game shooting just 27 percent from the field and was limited to three points in the first half, was 6 of 8 in the third quarter with three 3-pointers as the Hornets outscored the 76ers 39-20. Charlotte opened the second half on a 16-2 run and was never seriously challenged after that.The 76ers didnt help themselves with eight turnovers in the third quarter that led to 12 Charlotte points.Nicolas Batum is an elite player and made some very difficult shots, 76ers coach Brett Brown said. We got jumped coming out of the locker room.Batum said he was too passive in the first half and passed up too many shots.You could tell that he was going to come out and look for his shot more, Clifford said. You could tell from his body language that he was upset, in a good way, that he knew we had to play better and he was aggressive right from the start. I didnt say anything to him.Kemba Walker led Charlotte (3-1) with 22 points.Frank Kaminsky provided a huge boost off the bench, finishing with 14 points for his second-straight double-digit game since returning from a sprained foot. Cody Zeller added 13 points in his first game since receiving a $56 million contract extension earlier this week.TIP-INS76ers: Jahlil Okafor was on a minutes restriction due to knee soreness and only played 23 minutes, scoring 12 points. ... Treveon Graham saw his first NBA action for the Hornets but played only one minute. ... Have lost six straight games to the Hornets. ... Committed 19 turnovers that led to 29 points.Hornets: C Roy Hibbert missed his second straight game with right knee soreness. ... Jeremy Lamb (hamstring) was also out for Charlotte. ... The Hornets were 16 of 22 from the field in the third quarter.ILYASOVA TALKS TRADEErsan Ilyasova, who was acquired in a trade Tuesday with the Oklahoma City Thunder, tied for a team-high 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting in his first game with the 76ers.While the 76ers have struggled in recent years, Ilysova believes there is talent to turn things around.We have to work together as a unit, said Ilysova, who joined the team on Tuesday. When you look at last year and the year before, those records stick with you. But winning is a habit and as soon as you start winning you feel more confident about yourselves.Brown said he was impressed with Ilysova, saying, You can see why we were attracted to him. I think hes going to be an excellent complement to what we have.RIM PROTECTORSBrown said the 76ers are missing rim protection with Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel still out.If you do get beat on the perimeter, theres an extra layer there behind that that has a chance to make a stop, to get a defensive play, Brown said. Weve seen especially with Joel, him at the rim, how significant he can be. We havent really seen Nerlens this year, but we have good memories from previous years. Without those two, thats what you miss.HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTClifford said the Hornets went over the 76ers sets at halftime and talked about his teams one-on-one defense.We just got beat and we gave up a lot of penetration on pick-and-rolls and individual help plays. In the second half, we did a lot better with that, Clifford said.The 76ers were limited to 40 points in the second half.UP NEXT76ers: Things dont get easier for winless Philadelphia, which plays host to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night.Hornets: Visit Brooklyn on Thursday night before returning home for a three-game home stand. Rafael Palmeiro Cubs Jersey . -- Its been a long road back for Sean Bergenheim. Duane Underwood Jr. Cubs Jersey . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. https://www.cheapcubs.com/2470t-rick-sutcliffe-jersey-cubs.html . Sulaiman, 44, was chosen unanimously Tuesday in a vote by the leadership, the World Boxing Council said. Sulaiman becomes the sixth president of the organization. Kris Bryant Cubs Jersey . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. David Ross Cubs Jersey . The Islanders dealt Thomas Vanek to the Montreal Canadiens after less than a year on Long Island. Meanwhile, the Oilers dealt long-time sniper Ales hemsky to the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday for a fifth-round pick in 2014 and a third-rounder in 2015. PORTLAND, Ore. -- The matchup between the Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at the Moda Center features a duel between two of the better shooting guards in the NBA.Chicagos Jimmy Butler collected 37 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals Saturday in a 116-105 win over the Washington Wizards.Portlands CJ McCollum scored 21 points to help the Trail Blazers defeat Denver 112-105 at home Sunday night.Butler is the first Bull to reach those figures since Scottie Pippen had 37, eight and eight in December 1995. The 2016 U.S. Olympian, who is averaging 24.3 points, is the first Bull who has scored at least 20 points with three steals in four straight games since Pippen (1994-95).I cant express how much easier it makes it on everyone else having someone like that on both sides of the floor, Chicago center Robin Lopez said.Over the past four games, Butler is averaging 29 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 rebounds and four steals and is a collective 42 for 46 at the line.Were putting the ball in his hands bringing the ball down the floor a lot more than we did a year ago, second-year Bulls coach Fred Holberg said. Last year, wed bring him off action to get him to the top of the floor. Now hes bringing it down and going to work. We want the ball in Jimmys hands because of his ability to draw contact.Butler is providing more vocal leadership, too, than ever before for the Bulls (6-4).The thing I love about him is how he has continued to talk and been a great leader with his voice this year, Holberg said.Said Butler: Its going to have to be me to lead the charge when it comes tto coming out with the right energy, making sure were doing everything were supposed to do at both ends.dddddddddddd Im definitely capable of doing that.McCollum also is on a scoring tear of late, with three 30-plus-point games in his past five games for the Blazers (7-4).CJ seems to have found his rhythm, Portland coach Terry Stotts said of the 2015-16 NBA Most Improved Player Award recipient. I go back to when everybody was so concerned about him in preseason. He has showed he is picking up where he left off last year.That was a breakout season for McCollum in his first year as a starter. He averaged 20.8 points while shooting 44.8 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from 3-point range and 82.7 percent from the free-throw line.So far this season, McCollum is boasting better numbers across the board -- a 22.1-point average while shooting 47.2 percent from the field, 43.1 percent on 3-point attempts and 85.7 percent from the line. He is also averaging 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists as a combo guard, since Stotts is employing him at the point when Damian Lillard is out of the game.I just want to do whatever it takes to get on the court, McCollum said. When Im playing alongside Dame, I get a lot of opportunities off the ball, a lot of shots in the flow of the offense. When I play (as point guard) with the second unit, Im trying to make the right decisions on the pick-and-roll, and when Dame comes back in, to get him off the ball some as well, because hes a unique scorer. ' ' '