Joel Embiid Misses Tying Shot At Buzzer As Philadelphia 76ers Fall To Atlanta Hawks
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 10 of his 15 points in the final 3:44, helping the short-handed Atlanta Hawks to a 98-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday night.
The Sixers had the ball with 5.4 seconds left, but Joel Embiid missed a potential tying shot at the horn that sealed Atlanta's win.
With that miss, the Hawks are making a habit of upsets in Philly.
The Hawks were without seven players because of health and safety protocols, lost two more during the game to injury, but stuck with the Sixers, who were 9-1 favorites to FanDuel Sportsbook. Atlanta scored all the big baskets down the stretch.
Bogdanovic came off the bench and buried a 3 with 3:44 left for a 91-90 lead. He pulled up for a 23-footer that made it 96-92, and hit a step-back jumper with 1:25 left that stretched the lead to six. Bogdanovic missed his first 10 shots before he got hot in the fourth.
Cam Reddish scored 18 points and John Collins had 17 for the Hawks.
Embiid had 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Sixers, and hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with just under 6 minutes left for an 88-86 lead that wouldn't stick. Tyrese Maxey scored 17 points.
Kevin Huerter, Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, Lou Williams, Sharife Cooper and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot all missed the game for health and safety protocols. The Hawks started Onyeka Okongwu, Skylar Mays, Delon Wright, Reddish and Collins, a far cry from the lineup that helped upset the Sixers in the second round of last season's East playoffs. Collins was the lone starter from Game 7.
"We're bringing in guys from the G League that we really don't have time to practice with," coach Nate McMillan said. "They haven't had time to get with us on the floor. It's really difficult to put them in situations to get out and play on the floor. You're limited in what you can do."
The Hawks actually raced to a 19-point lead, getting two key points when Philadelphia's Tobias Harris tipped the ball into the Hawks' basket. That unofficially gave Harris four points, though only two for the Sixers.
It was that kind of start, and Sixers' fans let the home team have it and booed them off the court headed into breaks in the action.
Maxey led a Sixers rebound in the second quarter and his alley-oop pass to Matisse Thybulle right before the half tied the game at 51-all and sent the crowd into a frenzy. Maxey scored 11 points off the bench and helped the Sixers outscore Atlanta 33-19 in the second quarter.
TIP-INS
Hawks: The short-handed Hawks lost 104-98 to Orlando a night earlier. ... Reddish sprained his right ankle ... Delon Wright left late in the fourth with a sprained left ankle.. ... The Hawks led 79-75 at the end of the third quarter.
76ers: Furkan Korkmaz started after missing the last three games with the flu. ... Maxey punctuated a big slam by pointing to his father, who had a courtside seat.
SIMMONS UPDATE
Coach Doc Rivers has talked to Ben Simmons of late and said the three-time All-Star guard was "doing good" as he continues to sit out the season. Will Simmons rescind his trade demand and eventually play for the Sixers? Rivers said that topic has been off-limits with the guard.
"That's the stuff I've intentionally stayed out of. I have enough on my plate," Rivers said. "I didn't feel like I needed to add that."
WELCOME ABOARD
Tyler Johnson, a seven-year veteran, made his Philly debut a day after he signed a 10-day contract. Rivers said it was hard for short-contract players to get up to speed on the playbook as the protocols have all but ended practices.
"He said, 'I know I don't know, but I know it's basketball,'" Rivers said.
UP NEXT
Hawks: Play Saturday in a Christmas game against New York.
76ers: Play Sunday at Washington.
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