The Philadelphia 76ers dropped their second game following James Harden's foot injury by a score of 104-95 to the Atlanta Hawks. An insane 18-4 fourth-quarter run by the Sixers' bench made the final score look not so bad but the Hawks absolutely owned this game.
The +/- column shows everything that went wrong for the Sixers: every player not named Joel Embiid. In addition to having a +/- almost as big as Philly's deficit entering the fourth quarter, he ended the game at +10. The only other player to be in the positive while playing double-digit minutes? P.J. Tucker, who made one of two shots and was +1. Everyone else was at least a -5.
Sixers first half plus/minus
-Joel Embiid: +10
-Danuel House: +3
-PJ Tucker: +1-Matisse Thybulle: -1
-Shake Milton: -2
-De’Anthony Melton: -2
-Tyrese Maxey: -3
-Georges Niang: -3
-Paul Reed: -11
-Tobias Harris: -12— Sean Barnard (@Sean_Barnard1) November 11, 2022
Embiid tallied 26 points and 13 rebounds on 9-18 shooting from the field. Even with his seven turnovers (compared to just two assists), he dominated the Hawks defense. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey combined to shoot 10-32. Despite Atlanta's 6-26 shooting from deep, the Sixers couldn't take a lead in the game at any point in the final three quarters.
Defensively, the Sixers also had few answers without Embiid. Clint Capela dominated inside when Embiid sat whether it was Paul Reed or P.J. Tucker at center, tallying 18 points and 18 rebounds in the first three quarters. The +/- stat can sometimes be misleading and inconclusive but in Philly's latest loss, it tells a pretty accurate story: Embiid was the lone impactful player in non-garbage-time minutes.
The Sixers did recently defeat the Phoenix Suns without Harden but that was in large part to Georges Niang coming through with a 21-point performance off the bench that featured four triples in six attempts in the fourth quarter. Also aiding them was Chris Paul missing the entire second half of that game. For Philly to truly thrive while Harden recovers, they have to show that the offense can generate clean looks and withstand both the duration of the game and its key players resting on the bench during it.
The Sixers have the talent to succeed without Harden but they have not found the right tactics to make it happen. Doc Rivers said that the team is approaching a turning point but Thursday night's loss did not show that.
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