What is the story about?
It’s also a good bit that when they do win the third quarter, they end up losing the game.
The Sixers and Atlanta Hawks once again came down to the final buzzer Sunday evening, with Philadelphia falling short 120-117.
Paul George continued to look like the Paul George the Sixers paid for, leading all scorers with 35 points, shooting 11-of-21 from the field but could not get the game-winner to go with 23 seconds left. Joel Embiid went for 22 points shooting, 8-of-20 from the floor along with 14 rebounds.
VJ Edgecombe had a strong second half to finish with 26 points shooting 9-of-21 from the floor with six rebounds and two assists. Dyson Daniels, who probably just got free on a backdoor cut again, led the Hawks with 27.
Philly was without Tyrese Maxey who missed his second game with an illness, along with Kelly Oubre Jr. and Trendon Watford while Atlanta continues to be without Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis.
Here are some thoughts at the buzzer.
First Quarter
- This game started with an immediate halt as Nickeil Alexander-Walker had something bothering him after the first play of the game after a cutting layup attempt of his that was blocked by Edgecombe. A quick timeout and stretching out on the bench seemed to do the trick as he popped right back in and knocked down a three. No one seemed disrupted by the interruption as each team knocked down three jumpers in a row.
- When they weren’t shooting themselves in the foot, the Sixers’ offense did look alright out of the gate. A particular stretch of three turnovers in a row got in the way of that, with Edgecombe picking up a couple fouls trying to stop the fast break and heading to the bench early as a result. Once they were able to get the ball to Embiid though, the possession was in sure hands more often than not.
- Defending without fouling became a problem up and down the board as the Sixers sent Atlanta to the line 13 times in the first. Vit Krejci came off the bench and made his first three field goals of the game, going for 11 in the quarter. Meanwhile for the Sixers bench, Justin Edwards still can’t buy a shot to save his life. He missed his fifth straight three — it’s now 10 days since his last make and he’s struggled to chip in elsewhere. The Hawks took a 10-point lead after one.
Second Quarter
- Almost all of that was made up immediately thanks to a PG heater. He made four of his first five threes to start the night, and got fouled on his first made layup to make that one a three-point play as well. He also seemed to get the Sixers to settle in and guard for the first time all night, tidying up the paint with the help of Andre Drummond.
- Nick Nurse got funky with his lineups, going with a rare Kyle Lowry appearance and also playing Embiid and Drummond together. Lowry had some of his typical moments. He picked up a loose ball foul going for a rebound and fronting a post-up to cause the entry pass to sail out of bounds. Edgecombe provided some highlights during this stretch with two really impressive takes to the baskets.
- Embiid got to the line at a decent rate but it was not his most efficient half, shooting 4-of-12. He had a nerve-inducing fall going up to contest a shot. The broadcast showed that he slightly turned his ankle coming down, but he was able to shake it off in the moment well enough, driving hard to the basket on three of the Sixers’ next four possessions. He did get hit with a rough flagrant-1 right before the half when he caught Onyeka Okongwu with an inadvertent elbow spinning to the basket. The ensuing free throws and extra possession helped the Hawks to a four-point lead at the break.
Third Quarter
- George was able to keep things rolling out of the half, getting to the basket off a couple drives which is always a great sign. The rest of the offense felt disjointed. The only other starter having an efficient night was Dominick Barlow.
- Embiid was still struggling to get anything going from outside, but he begun to clean up his misses and turn those into second-chance points. Between that and Edgecombe getting some shots to fall the Sixers could eat into the lead, but the Hawks pushed them right back down any time they threatened to tie or take the lead.
- Edgecombe kept on persisting. His three-point shot falling early may have really opened up his confidence for the night as he was trying to get to the basket a lot and looked good doing so. The 17 points he had in the third beat the career-high for a points in a quarter that he put up last game, but the Sixers still trailed by three after the third.
Fourth Quarter
- To this point in the game the Sixers only had seven bench points, and they came entirely from the frontcourt. Edwards and Jared McCain combined to go 0-of-10 from the floor. The complete lack of bench shooting really put a strain on the rest of the offense.
- It took the Sixers over four minutes to score their first field goal of the quarter, so eight straight points scored by No. 8 was exactly what they needed to get off that snag. Everything falling PG’s way was exactly what the Sixers needed to stay in this game. He even got a three to go off the glass and another grenade to drop despite nearly having the ball stripped from him.
- Embiid finally got a three to fall, Edgecombe got all the way to the basket, but the Sixers couldn’t come up with stops on the other end. A Quentin Grimes three cut it to one with under a minute left and they were able to get the stop they needed. They got two cracks at it — Edgecombe soared in for a great offensive rebound after George missed a three, but Grimes missed the follow up as well.
- The Hawks burned nearly nine seconds of clock off before they were fouled, and the Sixers still had one to give. They didn’t get to the line until there was 1.5 seconds left, and the refs might have missed a backcourt violation that should have given the ball back to the Sixers, but they weren’t able to challenge the play. That at least gave the Sixers 1.5 seconds themselves to work with. George may have been the first read — he should have been — but the ball went to Grimes in the corner. It was a contested look that nearly went but excruciatingly rolled out.
