Joel Embiid returns to MVP model in victory over the Hawks

Just two days after a frustrating loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, the 76ers returned to Philadelphia to seek revenge. They only achieved this by producing an improved level of effort from the team highlighted by Joel Embiid’s MVP-like performance. The Sixers once led by 27 points in the third quarter and the Hawks held at arm’s length for the greater part of the game. Atlanta showed some fighting and called off a return to the game, but the Sixers eventually took a 121-106 win to move up to 6-7 on the season.

Embiid’s MVP-like Efforts

The story of the game was the star of the Sixers. Embiid obviously took this match seriously from the start and scored the Sixers’ first 10 points of the match. Highest score of the season 42 points 14-25 shooting I got the free throw streak 16 times. The big man also scored the season’s highest in assists with six while adding 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals.

The increased defensive intensity set the tone for the Sixers and helped them achieve victory. The Sixers seem to have made a noticeable improvement in their defense which was an area of ​​weakness against the Hawks on Thursday. Trae Young, who finished with 27 points and 11 assists, is proficient at crafting play in these groups and counts on John Collins and Clint Capella to produce these looks. While it’s impossible to completely negate these looks, Embiid’s coverage deterred the hawks in a way that helped The Sixers tremendously.

Embiid left everyone on the floor by scoring 40 minutes into the match. After extending the lead seemingly out of reach, the Hawks set out in a race to keep the competition. Embiid returned to the match with 3:08 remaining in the third quarter. play final 15:08 minutes into the match For the Sixers and was vital to the team’s victory. His ability to control the offense was shown with him in coordinating the offense with his decisions and proving that he is the anchor of the team on the defensive side. Embiid also dropped a triple pointer in the final possession rather than off the shot clock to put an exclamation point on the performance.

Therese Maxi’s Powerful Play

As far as Embiid is, he can’t do it alone. Therese Maxi rose to the co-star the team needed, and finished with 26 points and nine assists. He shot 10-18 from the field and shot 3-5 on three points in the win.

This was especially refreshing considering the Kentucky product was in rather good shape slack shooting In recent games. In the three games preceding this win, Maxi continued on only 19 of his 64 shot attempts (29.7%). He also fired 6-23 (26.1%) from behind the three-point arc. This changed in this match as Maxey used his bursts to reach the basket and this threat unlocked the rest of his game as well. There has been an increase in use in the two-man game with Maxey and Embiid which has proven to be effective.

Tobias Harris also had a fruitful match, as he finished the match with 21 points and six rebounds. He hits the basket well and hits the free throw line six times. The trio of Embiid, Maxey, and Harris combined earned 73.6% of the Sixers’ points in the match. Matisse Thybulle also hit a notable triple indicator with 1:39 left to extend the Sixers’ lead from eight to 11.

This was a necessary win for the Sixers who still had some work to do in the season. The team is still under 0.500 and will have a chance to turn this around tomorrow against the young Utah Jazz team. They must continue to build that victory if they are to become the contenders they strive to be. Embiid has clearly woken up from the funk he started the season on and rose to center stage in the Sixers’ performance. While it’s great to see this happen and the victory is secured, it’s worth noting that this kind of high-use 40-minute performance likely won’t be sustainable all season.