PHILADELPHIA — Joel Embiid’s first game in three weeks was overshadowed Sunday night by a wild finish that saw the Atlanta Hawks escape Wells Fargo Center with a 142-134 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers in double overtime.
Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey shared the court for the first time this season, but the decisive moments belonged to Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson, who delivered 41 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists. Johnson’s two free throws with 0.3 seconds left in the first overtime forced a second extra period, and the Hawks (—-) pulled away after all three Philadelphia stars were sidelined by minutes restrictions.
Late-game swings
Atlanta led by eight with under a minute remaining in regulation, yet the Sixers (—-) erased the deficit with a 10-point burst in 34 seconds. Quentin Grimes hit a three-pointer, Embiid tipped in a miss, and Dominick Barlow converted a three-point play before Maxey drained a game-tying three from the right wing with 8.8 seconds on the clock.
The chaos intensified in overtime. After Johnson missed a tying layup with 7.7 seconds left, Maxey — an 86.8 percent career free-throw shooter — missed two at the line. Johnson then drove, drew a foul on Barlow and watched his layup roll off the rim with 0.3 seconds left. Head coach Nick Nurse called timeout, but crew chief James Capers mistakenly treated it as a challenge, reviewed the play and briefly reset the clock to 1.1 seconds before restoring it to 0.3. Johnson calmly sank both free throws to extend the game.
Minutes limits bite Philadelphia
Embiid exited after logging a season-high 30 minutes, finishing with 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting in his return from right knee soreness. George, limited to 28 minutes, posted 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while rookie VJ Edgecombe (calf) had seven points in 21 minutes before also hitting his cap. Maxey soldiered on for 52 minutes, recording 44 points, seven rebounds and nine assists, but the Sixers managed only 11 points in the second overtime without their All-NBA center or newly acquired forward.
Andre Drummond played six first-half minutes before right knee soreness sidelined him. Porzingis missed his ninth game of the season — and sixth in Atlanta’s past nine — due to illness and is doubtful for Monday’s contest in Detroit, according to the Hawks.
Source: ESPN
