Humanity aside, the Philadelphia 76ers were happy to welcome Joel Embiid’s highly anticipated return. During that time, he made his long-awaited return to the court for the first time in three weeks during a thrilling double overtime battle against the Atlanta Hawks. Whether you were in Los Angeles or joining us online, Wednesday night’s game was electric! The 76ers lost a tight battle 142-134, but their superstar center made an epic return from injury.
It was the first game Embiid had played after missing nine games due to right knee soreness. That had been weighing on his mind for almost two years. He had already been dealing with concerns after taking a scary fall in his last game against Brooklyn, resulting in a hyperextended knee. No worse for wear, he returned to action on Wednesday. So, Embiid is back to being Embiid! … So did his teammates Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, who teamed up with him for the first time this season on a scary-good tandem matchup that had fans buzzing.
In only half an hour of action, Embiid left the arena slack-jawed from his opening jump shot. He finished the night with an efficient 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Though he played very well, he was under a minutes restriction that unfortunately limited his time to one Impact half.
“We just sort of hung around, didn’t go anywhere, stayed in the battle,” George said after the bout. He continued that the squad tried not to let emotion sway them, even in the hostile environment and frenetic match tempo.
George personally had a full-strength performance, chipping in with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 28 minutes. Maxey was a key player off the bench, demonstrating belief in his team’s play in a hard-fought defeat. “I thought I was going to make them, and we’ll figure it out after that,” he stated, reflecting on his approach during the game.
VJ Edgecombe was a welcome returnee as he rebounded nicely after missing three games due to a calf injury. His return provided important depth and versatility to the 76ers’ second-unit-laden lineup. The team’s dynamics shifted with the presence of both Embiid and Edgecombe, generating optimism for future games despite the disappointment of this particular loss.
Hawks head coach Quin Snyder praised his team for their fight in the game’s effort. “I think it was more about perseverance than it was poise,” Snyder noted, emphasizing the determination displayed by his players. He didn’t shy away from the fact that errors were made, but they created and converted important winning plays at the right time. “And we’re really just pleased that it went our way,” he wrapped up, thinking back on the win.
The tug-of-war aesthetic of the game had everyone on the edge of their seats, with each team fighting tooth-and-nail to pull ahead and claim victory. In that sense, the 76ers finally showed us what they can be at full strength. The way they’ve inexplicably failed to put teams away in regulation and overtime begs some serious questions going forward.
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