The Philadelphia 76ers (14-7) took on the Atlanta Hawks (9-12) without Trae Young. Looking to get another big winning streak going, the Sixers again struggled on defense but won with a final score of 125-114.

Let’s break down the Sixers' win.

Sixers player notes:

Joel Embiid: 38 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 blocks, 12-24 FG shooting

Following his first 50-point game of the season, Embiid went right back to work with 17 points and seven rebounds in the opening frame. He went scoreless in the next quarter but got his groove back in the second half, scoring and grabbing rebounds with ease. It was more casual dominance from the big man, who had some great blocks and contested rebounds.

Although he stayed in the game, Embiid seemed to come down hard on his left knee on a drive in the fourth quarter.

Tyrese Maxey: 30 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists, 8-18 FG shooting

Maxey had himself a nice second quarter, leading the way without Embiid with some snazzy scoring moves and smart passes. Overall, his scoring inside the arc was not very good until later in the game, though his aggression didn’t falter and his playmaking was on point. His reward for staying with it was trips to the foul line, where he shot very well.

Hawks player notes:

Dejounte Murray: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists, 6-15 FG shooting

Without Young, who did not even travel with the Hawks due to illness, Murray had a lot on his plate. He did a decent job getting things going for the Hawks, particularly as a playmaker. His inability to score efficiently, caused in part by his inefficiency in the mid-range, held Atlanta back, tough.

De'Andre Hunter: 24 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 9-17 FG shooting

The Philly native provided a huge scoring outburst off the bench to help the Hawks compete without Young. He shot the ball very well from deep and worked his way into buckets from the post.

Game recap:

1st half

A very, very easy portion of the Sixers' schedule was made easier when Young — the best player on the best team they'll face in their next handful of games — was ruled out with an illness. After Philly got torched by the lowly Washington Wizards on Wednesday, they got off lucky with the engine of a top-five offense out. Nurse outlined some improvements he wants to see before the game and explained how Philly has to hone in on its key defensive strategies.

The Sixers matched Batum up with Murray, who himself guarded Maxey. Batum has his value on defense but the Sixers' insistence on putting him on the opponent’s best guards leaves him in tough spots. Keeping up with quicker guys seems harder for him, as Murray got a step on him often and drew a foul on a three-point attempt. Overextending Batum is partly a result of their lack of on-ball stoppers.

Embiid tallied nine early points to keep the Sixers ahead. Nurse made Patrick Beverley the first substitution of the game for Maxey, who would later return at the end of the first quarter. Embiid scored an and-one and did a light DX Chop with a single thrust — we'll see if the NBA still fines him. Kelly Oubre Jr. got a loud ovation as he checked in for his first home game since getting hit by a car roughly a month ago.

Nurse went with Marcus Morris Sr. as the second forward off the bench after Oubre. Embiid continued to dominate in the paint with buckets and offensive rebounds while the Sixers got off to a much better start shooting the ball than last game, going 5-9 from deep to start. Their defense was also much better, holding Atlanta to just 23 first-quarter points as they jumped out to a 12-point lead.

Maxey led the second unit to start the second quarter, which featured a great sequence where he hit a three, hustled back on defense and deflected a pass out of bounds to prevent a Hawks fast break. But a pesky Atlanta lineup chipped away at the deficit. More poor defense was the culprit as Maxey kept the pressure going on offense.

De'Anthony Melton was moved to the Murray matchup for a little bit in the second quarter when the starters all came back in. Tobias Harris continued his struggles on defense but did have some nice finishes at the rim, including a dunk as a roller to the rim from Maxey and a strong and-one take himself. He also hit Oubre on a backdoor cut off of the short roll.

However, defensive woes persisted, particularly in transition and on the defensive glass, and the Hawks took the lead 68-62 at the break. They outscored the Sixers 45-27 in the second quarter.

2nd half

The Sixers' defense looked better to start the half. They stuck to players around screens better, forced the Hawks into looks later in the shot clock and deployed timely, effective traps on the ball. They got the game back to a one-point affair in just over three minutes.

All four of the non-Embiid took turns guarding Murray in the half-court. Even Embiid matched up with him once on a fast break. He held his own in space against him, forcing him into a contested mid-range look. The big fella got back into a scoring rhythm and the Sixers' pace helped them get the points they needed to retake the lead, which occurred when Batum tipped out an offensive rebound to Maxey for a three.

Nurse opted not to mix Robert Covington or Jaden Springer into the Sixers' rotation when the time came for substitutions. He rolled with just nine players in his rotation for this game, opting not to play either of the two previously mentioned guys or Danuel House Jr. despite a need for some better defense. The Sixers that did play put the team up by one at the start of the fourth quarter.

The 10th player to play for the Sixers was…Mo Bamba, who took Paul Reed's spot as the backup center. It was a truly confounding decision to go to a different backup big instead of one of their two most disruptive non-Embiid defenders but after a brutal second quarter, Nurse clearly felt that change was needed.

Maxey drew some fouls to increase the Sixers' lead while Bamba did not do a great job holding his own against Onyeka Okongwu, though Atlanta's backup center got to his fifth foul early in the fourth quarter. He was also called for a charging foul, though he also fought hard with Clint Capela on the glass, getting him to commit his fourth foul of the game. Beverley was hit with a technical foul after arguing with a ref as the Hawks kept right at the Sixers' tails.

Aside from fouling Bogdan Bogdanovic on a three before Embiid came back in, the fourth quarter was huge for Maxey, who caused problems for Atlanta's defense with his speed. But the visitors still managed to take the lead thanks to a well-rounded effort. Melton picking Bogdanovic's pocket from behind and finishing the outlet pass with a slam put Philly back ahead with 3:15 left to play.

Even with his knee bothering him, Embiid got to his spot at the nail and delivered some crucial buckets in the clutch. Maxey drained an open three to put the Sixers up by nine late in the game. Philly made some huge defensive plays, too, including Maxey blocking a jumper and Oubre forcing a steal that led to a Melton breakaway slam. Not the prettiest win but a win nonetheless…again.

Random rumblings:

  • Philadelphia icons Dom “Big Dom” DiSandro and Embiid's son, Arthur, were both in the building for this one.

The Sixers will face the Wizards again, this time at home on Monday evening.