PHILADELPHIA — Trae Young attempted to loft a pass inside as the seconds ticked down, but Joel Embiid leapt into the air to swat the ball away.
Embiid’s defensive play that all but sealed the game — which complemented his 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in his return from a foot injury — lifted the 76ers to a 104-101 Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center.
The Sixers’ seventh win in nine games required a rally from 16 points down in the first half to set up the down-to-the-wire finish.
After a pull-up jumper by the Hawks’ Dejounte Murray gave the Hawks a 100-97 lead with less than two minutes remaining, Embiid followed with a spinning finish and, after the Sixers’ defense forced a shot-clock violation, he hit the go-ahead jumper with 18.6 seconds to play.
The Sixers (12-9) briefly took an 80-77 lead on a corner three-pointer by Georges Niang late in the third, then again on two consecutive buckets by Tobias Harris and a driving layup by Matisse Thybulle to make the score 91-88 with less than nine minutes remaining. Both teams went back and forth after that.
One night after blasting the Orlando Magic by 30 points Sunday night, the Sixers struggled offensively to start Monday’s game. They shot less than 40% for much of the first half to fall into that 16-point deficit. Guards Shake Milton and De’Anthony Melton, who have filled in admirably for Harden and Maxey, shot a combined 12-of-32 from the floor.
It was the fifth game in seven nights for the shorthanded Sixers, who continue to play without star guards James Harden (foot tendon strain) and Tyrese Maxey (fractured foot). The Hawks were also taxed physically, losing Sunday night in Miami before traveling to Philly.
Harris finished with 24 points on an efficient 10-of-18 shooting and 10 rebounds for the Sixers.
Six Hawks finished in double figures, led by Trae Young’s 18 points and 10 assists, 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from Philly native De’Andre Hunter and Justin Holliday’s 16 points off the bench including a 4-of-5 mark from three-point distance.
The Sixers immediately go back on the road for their next three games at the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday, the Memphis Grizzlies Friday and the Houston Rockets next Monday.
Embiid’s return
Unsurprisingly, the Sixers’ trajectory largely mirrored that of their MVP contender.
Long before his clutch down-the-stretch plays, Embiid missed his first four shots as the Sixers fell into their double-digit first-half hole. A nifty move to the bucket to finish a layup about midway through the second quarter signaled that Embiid was gaining rhythm. Then he scored six points in a two-minute burst to end the first half, including a one-footed floater to cap a 17-5 Sixers run to slice the Hawks’ advantage at the break to four points.
After missing his first two shots of the third quarter, Embiid’s jumper around the four-minute mark cut the Hawks’ lead to 75-50 before a spinning finish through contact for the old-fashioned three-point play tied the score at 77.
Paul Reed was the backup center Monday. Montrezl Harrell, who had started during Embiid’s absence, did not play.
Steady Harris
On an inconsistent offensive night, Tobias Harris remained a bright spot throughout Monday’s outing.
The veteran forward hit two of the fourth quarter’s more important shots, a go-ahead hook shot and then a desperation three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to give the Sixers an 89-88 advantage with about nine minutes to play.
Harris made four of his first five shots to finish with nine points in the opening frame. After he checked back in during the second period, he hit a tough jumper through contact to help spark the Sixers’ run to end the first half.
In the third quarter, Harris buried a three-pointer at the top of the key early to cut his team’s deficit to 57-54, then finished inside to temporarily quell a burst by Young to try and extend the Hawks’ lead back to double digits.
