The 76ers played with Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George together for the first time this season. VJ Edgecombe returned after missing three games, and Andre Drummond was active despite a right knee contusion suffered two nights earlier. Kelly Oubre Jr. missed the game with a left knee LCL sprain, and Trendon Watford remained out with a left adductor strain. Philadelphia lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 142-134, in double overtime at Xfinity Mobile Arena. The 76ers fell to 10-9, and Atlanta improved to 13-8.
Embiid returned after missing nine games because of right knee soreness. He last played on Nov. 8 and did not play on Nov. 9 because he was not cleared for back-to-backs after April surgery on his left knee. The 76ers upgraded him to questionable on Sunday afternoon, and he was cleared after his pregame workout. He opened the game with a mid-range jumper and played six minutes in his opening stint, scoring four points and assisting Dominick Barlow on an inside finish.
In the second quarter, Embiid immediately hit another mid-range jumper. He collided with Mouhamed Gueye and got up quickly. He made additional mid-range jumpers, created free throws with a shot fake, and reached halftime with 11 points on six shots in 13 minutes. His defensive mobility decreased as the game advanced, and Atlanta created scoring chances against him.
Embiid began the fourth quarter and missed two jumpers during a prolonged offensive drought. The 76ers committed several turnovers, and Embiid returned to the bench. He reentered with four minutes left in regulation but did not produce scoring plays. He also nearly allowed a game-winning shot at the end of regulation. He started overtime, missed a potential late jumper, and produced one defensive stop. Embiid played a season-high 30 minutes and finished with 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting, four rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
Edgecombe returned from a left calf injury and made a transition three-pointer on his first touch off a hit-ahead pass from Maxey. He added a fast-break layup and recorded a steal in the first quarter. After a brief rest, he played alongside Jared McCain and Quentin Grimes while Maxey sat. He returned late in the second quarter.
In the third, Grimes started after clearing concussion protocol. Edgecombe checked in midway through the period, recorded another steal, and delivered a drive-and-dish assist to Grimes for a dunk. He then scored through contact at the end of the quarter. Edgecombe played 21 minutes.
Before tip-off, Hawks head coach Quin Snyder spoke about Barlow, who played the 2024-25 season in Atlanta. Snyder said Barlow “really knows how to play,” provided “good minutes” during a needed stretch, had “a great feel for the game,” and could “pass” and “handle.” Barlow played 20 first-half minutes for the 76ers and contributed on the glass, as a passer and as a cutter.
Drummond suffered a right knee contusion on Friday against the Nets and left the floor in a wheelchair, though on Sunday, he played six minutes. Nick Nurse then used Adem Bona, who more than doubled Drummond’s minutes after also returning from injury on Friday.
Atlanta began 0-for-9 from three-point range. Philadelphia opened 2-for-10 from three. Maxey had a slow start against Dyson Daniels, committed four first-half turnovers, and had difficulty navigating screens. He drew seven free throws and made six, hitting two free throws with 3.9 seconds left in the half to give Philadelphia a 58-57 lead. Maxey has scored at least 20 points in each of the team’s 19 games.
During this period, betting markets for the 76ers’ next game against the Washington Wizards presented Philadelphia as a heavy favorite. Action Network listed Philadelphia as a 13.5-point favorite with a moneyline of –700 and a total of 235.5. CBS Sports listed the 76ers at –12.5 with a total of 235.5 and moneylines of –563 for Philadelphia and +530 for Washington. ESPN’s DraftKings-based listing showed the 76ers at –13.5 (–102), Washington at +13.5 (–115), Washington at +550 on the moneyline, and a total of 235.5.
In title futures, sportsbooks placed the 76ers at +4000, +3500, or +3300 for the 2026 NBA championship. One board listed Atlanta at +2900. Embiid appeared in MVP odds at +7000. Market context referenced the 76ers’ 144-103 loss to Orlando, a game in which Orlando scored a franchise-record 51 points in a quarter and 86 in a half while Philadelphia played without Embiid, George, and Edgecombe. Philadelphia had nine wins against the spread in 19 games and hit the over in 11 of those.
Grimes continued scoring in the third quarter. He reached his sixth 20-point game of the season with a baseline dunk after a pump fake. He later made a contested three with 1.6 seconds remaining, extending the lead to 89-83.
The fourth quarter shifted immediately. Embiid missed two jumpers, and a Maxey turnover led to a Nickeil Alexander-Walker layup. The 76ers committed five turnovers during a 13-0 Hawks run. Embiid checked out at 9:18, and Philadelphia did not score until a Paul George driving layup with 7:37 left. Embiid returned with 4:02 remaining. Maxey completed his third and-one layup of the quarter to cut the deficit to 108-105. Embiid passed to George for an open corner jumper with the 76ers down four, but the attempt missed long. George finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five steals, and four assists in 28 minutes on 6-for-17 shooting.
With 12.7 seconds left, Barlow made an and-one layup to make the score 115-112, but missed the free throw. George tracked down the offensive rebound and passed to Maxey, who made a long three-pointer to tie the game. On the final Atlanta possession of regulation, Daniels worked around Embiid but failed to score. The officials did not grant Nick Nurse’s timeout request with about two seconds left, then George missed a long heave at the buzzer.
In overtime, George scored the opening points with two free throws. Jalen Johnson made a three to give Atlanta a 122-121 lead. Jared McCain responded with a three. Maxey put the 76ers back ahead with a spinning layup but missed both of his free-throw attempts with 4.3 seconds remaining, his 16th and 17th attempts of the night. Johnson drove baseline on Barlow with 0.3 seconds left, used a pump fake, drew a foul, and made both free throws.
The 76ers started double overtime without Embiid and used Bona at center. Maxey tied the game at 132 with a layup, though Philadelphia did not score again. Johnson made two deep jumpers, giving Atlanta a six-point lead, and the Hawks closed out the 142-134 win.
Maxey finished with 44 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds in 52 minutes. Grimes scored 28 points. Johnson finished with 41 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists. Alexander-Walker scored 34 points. Atlanta played without Trae Young due to a right knee MCL sprain and Kristaps Porzingis due to illness.
The 76ers play the Washington Wizards on Tuesday in Philadelphia. Their next seven days include games against Golden State, Milwaukee, and the Lakers.
