PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers welcomed back some key pieces to the roster in Sunday's contest against the Atlanta Hawks. Joel Embiid returned from a 9-game absence due to a bothersome right knee issue, VJ Edgecombe was on the floor after a 3-game absence, and Andre Drummond was available for Philadelphia.
After a wild, back-and-forth affair, the Sixers fell short to the Hawks 142-134 in a double overtime thriller. Embiid had 18 points in his first game since Nov. 8, Tyrese Maxey had 44 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds while Paul George had 16 points, seven rebounds, and five steals. Quentin Grimes hopped off the bench and had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Dominick Barlow had 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, and VJ Edgecombe added seven.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHere are the three biggest takeaways from the loss:
Embiid's solid performance
Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesIt wasn't dominant, but the big fella looked good. He shot 6-for-14 from the floor, 6-for-8 from the foul line, and had a block. He had some struggles in the fourth and in the one overtime session he played as he shot a combined 1-for-5 in those minutes, but he had a tough luck miss in OT when a shot rattled in-and-out and the Sixers will be looking to him to build off this performance as time moves on. It was not a bad performance when considering how long it's been since he played in an NBA game. His mere presence on the floor created so many open looks within the offense as the Hawks had to pay so much attention to him.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Well, I thought, since he hasn't played in, what, three weeks, right?" said coach Nick Nurse of Embiid. "I thought he made some decent moves on offense. He got us some open space to play in. I think he created a lot of offense. I think for first time in three weeks, and probably his most minutes by at least, I'm not sure, six, seven or eight of the year. I think 22 he was at mostly. Yeah, I thought he played well."
Maxey hanging tough
Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) drives to shoot against Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesMost people will point out that Maxey missed two critical free throws that would have iced the game in the first overtime session, but he was phenomenal down the stretch after a tough start. The Hawks have a ton of length, and tough perimeter defenders such as Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. This is a team that can be tough for a guy like Maxey to score on and the star guard was struggling through three quarters as he shot 4-for-12 and 1-for-7 from deep. He then scored 12 points in the fourth including the game-tying triple to force the first OT. He then scored another 12 points across the two overtimes. The overall 3-point shooting wasn't good, but Maxey hung in there and helped Philadelphia stay alive.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"I think I looked down and I looked up one time, and he had 36," said Nurse. "I couldn't believe it, because it felt like he had a ton of great looks that he just wasn't hitting anything. I don’t know what he went from 3. 2-for-13. That's what it felt like. It felt like more than that, but he hung in there. I thought he did a heck of a job of navigating their length down the lane in the fourth and in the overtime. I mean, those are some long athletes, a bunch of them down there, and Daniels, obviously, was draped on him, and he's one of the league's best defenders. So, he had a lot to navigate there, and somehow he still did it."
Edgecombe on a minutes limit
Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard VJ Edgecombe (77) reacts against the Atlanta Hawks in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn ImagesAfter missing three games due to a calf issue, the No. 3 overall pick was on a minutes limit for the first time in the 2025-26 season. He only played 21 minutes and shot 3-for-6 for seven points. Nurse revealed after the game that he had to start Grimes in the second half in order to save minutes for Edgecombe later in the game. The Sixers want to take it easy on the rookie and bring him back slowly amid his recovery from the calf issue.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Obviously, from a player standpoint, you want to be on the floor, but I'm super proud of my teammates," Edgecombe said after the loss. "Just how they fought. Obviously, I know it's nothing I can do about the minutes restrictions right now, but I'm just happy that my teammates fought at the end of the game."
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: 3 biggest takeaways for Sixers following double overtime loss to Hawks
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