Tyrese Maxey

The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from an 88-87 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday with a 98-96 win over the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Friday night. 

Philly had lost three of its last four games entering Friday's contest, and Joel Embiid played an important role in helping the team get back on track. With the win, the Sixers improved to 12-11 on the season. 

Notable Stats

Joel Embiid, C, PHI: 28 PTS, 14 REB, 4 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK

Seth Curry, SG, PHI: 18 PTS, 2 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL

Trae Young, PG, ATL: 25 PTS, 4 REB, 10 AST, 1 BLK

Trae Young Continues to Impress Despite Loss

Young will always be a topic of discussion when the Hawks play, and he was arguably the best player on the court on Friday night. The 23-year-old opened up the first quarter with six points, two rebounds, three assists and one block, which led the team.

He added another eight points and two assists in the second quarter. However, Danilo Gallinari was Atlanta's most effective scorer just before halftime, notching nine points off the bench to close out the half.

Young continued his dominance in the third quarter, adding seven points, two rebounds and five assists before closing things out in the fourth quarter with just four points. 

The former All-Star entered Friday night's game having scored at least 30 points in each of his last five games, tied for the longest streak of his fledgling career.

Young continues to have a significant impact for Atlanta, averaging 26.3 points, 9.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from deep entering Friday's game.

If the Oklahoma product continues to play well, the Hawks could become one of the most dangerous teams in the Eastern Conference. Though they fell just short against the 76ers, strong performances from John Collins and Gallinari were promising signs that the team has the pieces to build upon their surprising conference finals run last season.

Joel Embiid Helps Lead Fourth Quarter Comeback

While Embiid is still very clearly trying to find his footing after missing nine games with COVID-19, the veteran big man had an impressive performance.

The 27-year-old opened up the game with eight points, five rebounds and one assist.

However, Embiid wasn't as effective in the second quarter, putting up just four points, one rebound and an assist just before halftime.

Embiid continued his impressive night into the third quarter, putting up 10 points, four rebounds, one assist and a block before finishing the fourth quarter with six points, two rebounds and an assist. 

His most important play came with just under 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the score tied at 96. Embiid pulled up from 13 feet and hit the jumper over Clint Capela to give the 76ers a lead they would never relinquish.

All things considered, Embiid had a great night after hitting just 21.2 percent of field goal attempts over the last two games.

While Embiid was impressive on Friday, the Sixers needed more out of Tyrese Maxey and Danny Green despite the win. The duo combined for 21 points, six rebounds and five assists. 

Granted, Philadelphia was without Tobias Harris with a non-COVID-19-related illness. The 29-year-old has been averaging 19.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47.6 percent from the field. Nonetheless, it was a gritty victory for a 76ers team missing one of their best players.

What's Next?

The Hawks will host the Hornets on Sunday, and the Sixers will be on the road again to face Charlotte on Monday. 

The Philadelphia 76ers announced Friday they have picked up the third-year option on Tyrese Maxey's rookie contract and the fourth-year option on Matisse Thybulle's rookie deal. 

Both options are for the 2022-23 season.

Thybulle, 24, was Philly's first-round pick in the 2019 NBA draft and has become a key member of the rotation. While he isn't a starter, he's arguably one of the most impactful defensive players in the NBA, averaging 1.5 steals and 0.9 blocks per game in his career. 

The steals are impressive considering Thybulle has played just 19.9 minutes per game, and nearly a block per game for a perimeter defender is wild.

Thybulle's upside is still tied to his jumper, however. He has made 32.9 percent of his three-pointers, keeping him from being the valuable three-and-D wing that teams covet. His defense is game-changing, but his offensive game leaves plenty to be desired. 

Still, he's a key player off the bench, especially while Ben Simmons, one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA, remains away from the Sixers.

Maxey, 20, has been thrust into starting duties in his second season with Simmons out of action. The team's 2020 first-round pick continues to show promise, averaging 14.4 points and 3.6 assists through five games. 

His best role is running the second unit, which he'll do once Simmons returns or is traded. Like Thybulle, a lot of his ceiling will be tied to his perimeter shooting. Maxey is excellent at attacking the basket and finishing through traffic but is a 30.0 percent shooter from three, allowing defenders to sink off him. 

Both Thybulle and Maxey are important role players for the Sixers. Picking up each player's option was a no-brainer.

The Philadelphia 76ers bounced back from Tuesday's loss to the New York Knicks with a 110-102 win over the Detroit Pistons at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday.

Philadelphia, which improved to 3-2, led by as many as 22 in the second half before a late run by Detroit made the game close.

Sixers star big man Joel Embiid, who was questionable because of knee soreness, had 30 points and 18 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Saddiq Bey scored 19 points for the Pistons, who fell to 0-4. Rookie Cade Cunningham, who was selected No. 1 overall in this year's draft, has yet to make his debut for Detroit as he recovers from an ankle injury.

Notable Player Stats

C Joel Embiid, PHI: 30 points, 18 rebounds

F Tobias Harris, PHI: 17 points, 6 rebounds

F Saddiq Bey, DET: 19 points, 6 rebounds

F Jerami Grant, DET: 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals

Sixers Overcome Slow Start, Late Lapse

The Sixers looked sluggish to open the game. Both teams struggled with their outside shots, but Philadelphia fell into Detroit's trap of slowing down the game and didn't get out in transition.

The lack of transition buckets caused Philadelphia to rely heavily on Embiid in the first half. The Sixers fell behind by as many as five before Embiid took over. He had 19 points and 12 rebounds, while no other player had scored in double figures or recorded five boards before halftime.

Philadelphia came out with more energy in the second half. Point guard Tyrese Maxey did a great job of jumping passing lanes, and the Sixers got out on the fast break.

The Sixers entered the season considered to be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but they let one of the worst teams in the league hang around.

A mental lapse by Philadelphia allowed Detroit to get back in the game in the fourth quarter. The Sixers bench struggled to find shots, and Embiid had to reenter the game after their 22-point lead almost disappeared. 

Philadelphia has had a lot of off-court turmoil with three-time All-Star Ben Simmons' absence from the team.

Thursday's win should be a confidence-booster, but the Sixers need to put a full game together to prove their status as contenders in the East.

Pistons Show Fight, Lack Offensive Firepower

The Pistons kept the game close early and even led in the first half, controlling the tempo and making it an ugly game.

But as the second half wore on, Detroit just didn't have enough offense to keep up. It made just eight of its 25 field-goal attempts in the third quarter and shot only three free throws after getting to the line 12 times in the first half.

The Pistons put together a 19-3 run in the fourth quarter to cut their deficit to six. But it was largely because the Sixers had their bench players in the game and had taken their foot off the gas.

Jerami Grant was inefficient from the floor, shooting 4-of-14. Bey scored 14 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, but Detroit needed him to get going earlier.

The Pistons showed they have fight, but they need Cunningham to help ignite their offense. He is practicing with Detroit's G League affiliate, the Motor City Cruise, and could make his Pistons debut Saturday. 

What's Next?

The Sixers will look to keep the momentum going in the second game of a four-game homestand Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks. The Pistons will go for their first win Saturday at home against the Orlando Magic.