Joel Embiid, Sixers roar back to stun Hawks
FILE – Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers looks on against the Orlando Magic at Wells Fargo Center on November 29, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP
Joel Embiid hit a jumper with 42.8 seconds remaining to cap a game-ending 7-0 run as the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the host Atlanta Hawks 98-96 on Friday.
Embiid had 28 points and 12 rebounds and Seth Curry added 18 points. Georges Niang contributed 13, Tyrese Maxey had 11 and Danny Green chipped in 10.
Article continues after this advertisement28 PTS, 12 REB and the game-winner 🙌@JoelEmbiid went to work in the @sixers win! pic.twitter.com/Hi21msBTrz
— NBA (@NBA) December 4, 2021
The Sixers played without Ben Simmons (personal reasons) and Tobias Harris, who was a late scratch with a non-COVID illness.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 25 points and 10 assists, while John Collins and Danilo Gallinari added 18 points each. Gallinari missed a 3-pointer as time expired, as the hosts finished with only nine points in the fourth quarter.
Article continues after this advertisementKevin Huerter contributed 12 points for Atlanta, and Lou Williams had 11.
The Hawks were missing Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle), Cam Reddish (wrist) and De’Andre Hunter (torn labrum).
Young dropped in a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 42-37 lead with 5:00 left in the second quarter. After an empty Sixers possession, Gallinari hit a difficult jump hook for a seven-point advantage.
Atlanta led 52-44 at halftime thanks in large part to Young’s 14 points.
Embiid and Curry kept the Sixers close with 12 first-half points each. But the Sixers scored just 13 points in the second quarter and missed eight of their 10 treys in the first half.
Embiid came out aggressive in the third and scored in the paint to pull the visitors within 58-51. The next trip, Embiid converted a three-point play and the deficit was four.
Atlanta’s defense improved from there and it led 87-78 at the end of the third. Collins had 12 points alone in the third.
The Hawks missed their first eight shots of the fourth and the Sixers crept within 90-84 after baskets by Furkan Korkmaz and Embiid.
Maxey’s twisting shot in the lane with 5:40 remaining closed the Sixers within 92-86. On their next two possessions, Green made a trey and Curry hit a layup to cut the deficit to one.
Young responded with a jumper and a runner in the lane to put the Hawks ahead 96-91.
Curry made a trey and Embiid scored to tie the game at 96.
