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.
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