Embiid scores season-best 42 points, 76ers top Hawks 121-109
Joel Embiid shoots the ball against Clint Capela and Aaron Holiday of the Atlanta Hawks in the first half of the game at the Wells Fargo Center on November 12, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) ((Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images))
PHILADELPHIA - Joel Embiid had a season-high 42 points and 10 rebounds as the Philadelphia 76ers turned a blistering shooting performance in the first half into a 121-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Tyrese Maxey scored 26 points and Tobias Harris added 21 for the Sixers (6-7), who have won split the three back-to-back contests they've played this season. Philadelphia lost in Atlanta 104-95 on Thursday night.
Trae Young scored 27 points and Dejounte Murray added 21 for the Hawks, who had a 43-31 rebounding advantage — including a 12-2 advantage on the offensive glass — but struggled by shooting just 24.3% from beyond the 3-point arc.
Embiid and the Sixers went right at Hawks center Clint Capela by posting him just outside the paint, allowing the option for a turnaround jumper or a skip pass to a wide open Harris or Maxey when Atlanta came over in coverage.
Embiid scored Philadelphia first 10 points of the game and then became a distributor as the Sixers raced out to a big lead in the first half by shooting 58.1% from the floor.
Embiid has scored 40 or more points 28 times in his career.
Atlanta kept chipping away, cutting a 27-point deficit to six late in the fourth with Young and Murray driving into the lane and kicking out. A late five-point Philadelphia run in the last 2:30 of the game held off the Hawks' surge.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Forward Onyeka Okongwu missed Saturday night's game for what Atlanta described as personal reasons. ... Bogdan Bogdanovic did work out before Saturday's game as he continues his recovery from a right knee injury that has sidelined him the first 13 games of the season.
76ers: Sixers guard Furkan Korkmaz suffered a left knee injury in the second quarter and was declared out before halftime. ... Guard De'Anthony Melton, who started and played 29 minutes in Philadelphia's 104-95 loss to Atlanta on Thursday night, missed Saturday's game with stiffness in the left side of his back.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Travel to Milwaukee for a Monday night game against the Bucks. It will be the third meeting between the teams in 16 days, with each side taking one win so far.
76ers: Hosts Utah on Sunday night in the second game of a five-game homestand.