PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid performed in his first sport in three weeks Sunday night time, however the star heart’s return wasn’t sufficient because the Philadelphia 76ers misplaced 142-134 to the Atlanta Hawks in double additional time.
It was the primary time this season that Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey performed collectively, and Maxey shouldered a lot of the offensive load, ending with 44 factors, 9 assists and seven rebounds in 52 minutes. However Hawks ahead Jalen Johnson answered with 41 factors, 14 rebounds and seven assists to assist Atlanta eke out the win.
“I believe it was extra about perseverance than it was poise,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder mentioned. “However I believe once we did not have poise, or we made errors, we had been in a position to transfer ahead and made sufficient performs when it counted, and we put ourselves able [to win] — as did they.
“We’re simply comfortable it went our manner.”
It appeared the Hawks had been in management, main by six factors with lower than 30 seconds left in regulation. Embiid’s tip-in lower the Sixers’ deficit to 114-110 with 22.1 seconds left. After Johnson hit one among two free throws, Dominick Barlow made a layup, and Maxey tied the rating with a 3 with 8.8 seconds left.
“It is not over till it is over,” mentioned George, who had 16 factors, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in 28 minutes. “We form of simply stayed within the combat.”
After Johnson missed a tying layup with 7.7 seconds left within the first additional time, Maxey — a 86.8% profession foul shooter — went to the road for 2 free throws and an opportunity to offer the 76ers a four-point lead with 4.6 seconds left. As an alternative, he missed each.
“I assumed I used to be going to make them, and we’ll determine it out after that,” Maxey mentioned. “However, it is life.”
On the following possession, Johnson drove to the basket and was fouled by Barlow with 0.3 seconds remaining. 76ers coach Nick Nurse then referred to as timeout. He mentioned after the sport that he took one among his two remaining timeouts to ice Johnson and wished to make use of his remaining one if he made each to attract up a play to doubtlessly win the sport.
Crew chief James Capers, nonetheless, thought Nurse had challenged the decision, and carried out a overview. Capers initially mentioned Philadelphia had misplaced the problem and there was 1.1 left on the clock. However Nurse knowledgeable the officers he hadn’t referred to as for a problem, and the clock was reset to 0.3 seconds.
“There was a miscommunication amongst the officers, and we thought when [Nurse] referred to as the timeout that he wished to problem the play,” Capers mentioned in a pool report. “As a result of we didn’t have a authorized problem, we subsequently couldn’t go by what we noticed on the problem. Previous to that, the foul was dedicated with 0.3 on the clock.”
After the prolonged delay, Johnson hit each free throws to ship the sport right into a second additional time.
Embiid, who performed a season-high half-hour, did not play within the second additional time after lacking the earlier 9 video games due to proper knee soreness. He completed with 18 factors on 6-of-14 taking pictures.
VJ Edgecombe, who missed the earlier three video games due to a calf subject, scored seven factors in 21 minutes and did not play in both additional time. George was accomplished earlier than the second additional time.
“That was simply form of about as a lot as that they had, to be trustworthy,” Nurse mentioned.
After the sport, Embiid mentioned his knee felt good.
“I assumed the primary half was fairly good,” Embiid mentioned. “When it has been virtually a month and you have solely had about two courtroom classes, going up and down, it’ll be powerful.
“I am simply comfortable that I obtained an opportunity to play the sport of basketball, construct on it and go from there. … I do not actually decide myself primarily based on photographs falling. Tonight is all about how I moved laterally, leaping and all that stuff. Tonight was a great step in the direction of that.”
Edgecombe additionally mentioned he felt good regardless of lacking the earlier three video games. Andre Drummond, in the meantime, performed six first-half minutes earlier than being shut down due to soreness in his proper knee. On Friday night time, he performed 11 minutes and left after struggling a hyperextended knee towards the Brooklyn Nets.
Hawks heart Kristaps Porzingis sat out due to an sickness. Porzingis, who remains to be coping with the aftereffects of the well being points he suffered towards the top of final season with the Boston Celtics, is unlikely to play Monday at Detroit.