The Philadelphia 76ers (9-3) moved to 2-1 in Group Play of the In-Season Tournament with a 126-116 win over the Atlanta Hawks (6-6) on Friday night at State Farm Arena.
Joel Embiid finished with 32 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block. Tobias Harris scored a season-high 29 points to go with 10 rebounds and three assists. Tyrese Maxey added in 19 points, four rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Nic Batum (personal reasons) and Kelly Oubre Jr. (fractured rib) remained out for the Sixers.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 22 points and 13 assists. Jalen Johnson finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Atlanta played without Kobe Bufkin (left thumb fracture) and Mouhamed Gueye (right low back stress fracture).
The Sixers’ next matchup is on the road against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday afternoon. Here are some instant observations from the win over the Hawks:
– Embiid rebounded from a poor performance against the Boston Celtics with a strong, well-rounded game against the Hawks. He was especially dominant in the first quarter, scoring nine of the Sixers’ first 15 points. He had success playing bully ball against Hawks center Clint Capela. Everything was clicking for Embiid, who even knocked down a step-back 3-pointer towards the end of the shot clock. He was also having a ton of success as a passer. The Sixers spammed the flex cut, involving one of the guards setting a back screen to free up Harris to go across the paint and to the rim. Embiid, with the ball at the elbow, read the floor and successfully executed the pass to Harris.
21 ➡️ 12. pic.twitter.com/Cs38Z9l0M0
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 18, 2023
The Sixers got a pair of easy baskets off that action in the first quarter. Embiid finished the opening quarter with 11 points, three rebounds and four assists. This was one of Embiid’s best games as a passer this season. He felt when the double teams were coming and generally made the right reads. The big fella even mixed in some no-look passes, leading to 3-pointers for Covington and Danuel House Jr. respectively.
Embiid went through some offensive struggles midway through the game. He lost his touch from the mid-range, missing multiple jumpers he would usually make in his sleep. However, he recovered early in the second half and was back to his usual dominating play offensively. He took over the game in the third quarter, scoring 13 points and playing effective interior defense. His performance against the Hawks was one of his more well-rounded games of the season. This was a good way to recover from a pair of subpar outings, although the competition was admittedly not as stiff as it was against Boston.
– Harris was already well on his way to another strong night, but he picked things up in a big way in the second half. Eighteen. of his points came in the second half, with him even taking the game over at times. He scored through a mixture of shots at the rim, effective mid-range play and catch-and-shoot 3-pointers. His shooting efficiency has been off the charts this season, and that continued against the Hawks.
– Covington followed up a strong performance in the loss to the Celtics with an even better game against the Hawks. In addition to knocking down a couple 3-pointers, he impacted the game through his active hands and effort attacking the glass. He picked up four offensive rebounds, leading to countless extra opportunities for the Sixers. Overall, he filled up the stat sheet, finishing with six points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. He has been an excellent addition to the roster and should continue to have a significant role in the rotation.
– Maxey going through bouts of hesitancy and inaction offensively continues to be a problem for the Sixers. His first points of the game did not come until there was 8:07 remaining in the second quarter. That is simply inexcusable. He is far too talented to go that deep into the game without making his presence felt. The Sixers were able to get away with it in the first quarter due largely to Embiid’s strong start. However, once Embiid checked out of the game in the second quarter things quickly went downhill for the Sixers. The Hawks opened up the second quarter on a 12-0 run. Lineups with Embiid off and Maxey on the floor have largely been successful so far this season because Maxey has the scoring ability to carry those units. When he is playing passively, those lineups do not stand a chance. For as good a scorer as Maxey is, there is no reason for him to ever lack aggressiveness and confidence offensively.
Fortunately for the Sixers, Maxey picked things up midway through the second quarter, scoring 12 points in the second frame. With Embiid having a good game as a distributor, Maxey was able to benefit from playing away from the ball. He also had a solid night running the offense, although it is clear he is still finding the balance between looking to score and set up others.
Head coach Nick Nurse experimented with the team’s rotations in the fourth quarter. Maxey usually checks out of the game with three or four minutes remaining in the third quarter. He then usually comes back in to lead a non-Embiid lineup for the first several minutes of the fourth quarter. However, he played both Maxey and Embiid for the entirety of the third quarter against the Hawks and had them both sitting to begin the final frame. Nurse instead used a lineup with De’Anthony Melton, Jaden Springer, House, Harris and Paul Reed. The results were surprisingly good, with that unit outscoring the Hawks 13-8 in the first 3:49 of the quarter.
– Springer’s offense leaves a lot to be desired, which is expected at this point in his career. However, his defense is good enough to warrant some consistent minutes. He finished this game with two blocks, including the play below where he hung in the air for what seemed like forever before executing a chase-down block on Saddiq Bey.
Jaden chased him down! pic.twitter.com/ygqPoyVF2L
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 18, 2023
On the other end of the floor, Springer’s active cutting and movement off the ball led to multiple opportunities at the rim. He also was an active rebounder, creating multiple extra possessions for the Sixers. The 21-year old finished with eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks in 22 minutes off the bench.
– House has not had much of a role for the Sixers this season. However, with the team shorthanded he stepped in and had arguably his best game in a Sixers uniform. He played with a ton of energy, moving all over the floor and making an impact on both ends of the floor. At one point early in the fourth quarter, he had a stretch where he made a fast-break layup, flew back down the floor to impact an Atlanta alley-oop attempt and then followed it up with a big pass to Harris for an open corner 3-pointer. He finished with 14 points and three rebounds in 18 minutes.
– The Sixers’ transition defense was brutal for much of the night. The Hawks scored 22 fast-break points, effectively pushing the pace and getting out in transition off the Sixers’ missed shots. Their transition defense definitely needs to get cleaned up moving forward.
