Joel Embiid

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. 

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid said he's still getting back into shape after missing three weeks with COVID-19.

Speaking to reporters after Wednesday's 88-87 loss to the Boston Celtics, Embiid said "it's going to take a while" before he's back to peak physical condition.

"I would never use it as an excuse, but obviously I think it's going to take me a while to get back, especially legs and cardio and all that stuff," he said. "But every single day I got to keep working hard and keep getting better."

Embiid entered the NBA's health and safety protocols Nov. 8.

League rules require vaccinated players and coaches who test positive for COVID-19 to sit out 10 days unless they can produce two negative tests in a 24-hour period.

Embiid wound up missing 19 days before returning Nov. 27 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The four-time All-Star opened up about how much the virus impacted him after his first game back.

"It hasn't been good. That jawn hit me hard," he told reporters. "I really thought I wasn't going to make it. It was that bad. So I'm just thankful to be sitting here. I struggled with it, but I'm just glad that I got over it and I'm here doing what I love with some good people."

Embiid didn't show signs of fatigue on the court against the T-Wolves, where he had a season-high 42 points to go along with 14 rebounds in a 121-120 loss.

However, in the past two games, the 27-year-old has scored a total of 29 points on 7-of-33 shooting with 31 rebounds.

Since starting the season 8-2, the 76ers have dropped nine of their past 12 games and are currently at .500.   

The Boston Celtics earned an 88-87 win at home over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night. Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points and 16 rebounds as Boston improved to 12-10.

It was the Celtics' second straight win and fifth victory in their last seven games.

Philadelphia fell to 11-11 after its third loss in four games. Seth Curry had a team-high 17 points for the Sixers. Philadelphia's star big man Joel Embiid was held to 13 points on 3-of-17 shooting.

Notable Player Stats

F Jayson Tatum, BOS: 26 points, 16 rebounds

G Seth Curry, PHI: 17 points

C Joel Embiid, PHI: 13 points (3-of-17 FG), 18 rebounds

Celtics' Interior Players Give Sixers Trouble

Boston's big men came to play on Wednesday. Al Horford and Robert Williams gave Philadelphia fits on both ends of the floor. Their defense on Embiid was a big reason for the Celtics' win.

When he was in the low post, Embiid faced frequent double teams and was forced into either taking a bad shot or giving up the ball. In the first half, Embiid was held to four points on 1-of-9 shooting and Philadelphia had just 12 points in the paint.

Williams did a great job protecting the paint and also outworking the Sixers on the offensive end for easy dunks.

Horford also had a strong performance, and he probably had revenge on his mind while playing against his former team. Horford signed a four-year deal with Philadelphia in 2019 and was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder the following year.

Horford had all five of his blocks through three quarters. Williams got in on the action in the fourth quarter.

Horford and Williams combined to score 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Wednesday's game was a gritty contest dominated by defense, and Boston's big men did enough dirty work on the inside to secure the win.

The Celtics' offense has struggled to find consistency this season, ranking 24th in the NBA with a field goal percentage of 43.5 entering Wednesday. Boston's defense will be key to the team's success going forward, and the interior presence of Horford and Williams could cause problems for opponents if they continue playing like they did against Philadelphia.

Role Players Keep Sixers Afloat While Stars Struggle

It was an ugly game by Philadelphia's star players. Embiid finished with 13 points but made just 17.6 percent of his shots. Tobias Harris and Tyrese Maxey combined for 14 points on 7-of-24 shooting.

Luckily for the Sixers, they got contributions from unlikely sources to keep the game close. Shake Milton scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half to keep Philadelphia in the game. Georges Niang also added 12 points off the bench.

Curry continued to his efficient start to the season, shooting 7-of-13 and scoring both from the inside and outside.

But it wasn't enough. Philadelphia was held to 37.1 percent from the field and made just eight of its 31 three-point attempts. 

Embiid is still working his way back from missing time with COVID-19, and his performance against Boston likely will not be the norm going forward. But more concerning for Philadelphia was the play of Harris and Maxey. After a hot stretch in November, Maxey scored in single digits for the second straight game. Wednesday's game was Harris' sixth time scoring less than 20 points in his last eight appearances. 

The Sixers should be happy with the effort of their role players, but their stars will have to play like stars if they want to turn their season around.

What's Next?

The Celtics will embark on a five-game West Coast road trip, starting with Friday's game against the Utah Jazz. The Sixers will also be in action that day and will look to bounce back in a road matchup against the Atlanta Hawks.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid have had their disputes on the court, but Towns was happy to see the Philadelphia 76ers star back to full strength in Saturday's game against his Minnesota Timberwolves:

Embiid missed nine games after testing positive for COVID-19 on Nov. 8, but he scored 42 points and added 14 rebounds in Saturday's 121-120 loss to Minnesota.

Towns knows firsthand the impact of COVID-19 after losing eight family members, including his mother, to complications from the coronavirus. He also contracted the virus himself and told Michael Pina of Sports Illustrated that he lost 50 pounds before recovering.

After Towns announced his mother had been hospitalized, Embiid offered support to his rival on social media.

It was a break from what had been a serious beef between two of the top centers in the NBA.

The two fought each other during a 2019 game that led to ejections for both players:

This seemed to carry over into the April 2021 battle between the two teams, featuring a lot of physicality between the stars.

While the on-court excitement didn't slow Saturday in a back-and-forth battle, it's clear the players can put aside their differences when needed.

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid returned from a nine-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19 by posting 42 points and 14 rebounds in 45 minutes during a 121-120 double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the game, Embiid spoke about his experience:

"That jawn hit me hard," Embiid told reporters as he smiled. "I thought I wasn't going to make it."

Embiid added that it was a "miracle" he played as many minutes as he did Saturday.

He barely rested after halftime, playing the entire third quarter and both overtime periods. Embiid hit the bench for the first 3:40 of the fourth.

Embiid battled on the court with Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns, who lost eight family members to COVID-19, including his mother, Jacqueline Cruz-Towns.

The Minnesota big man also had COVID-19 himself and spoke with reporters after the game. He and Embiid have an on-court rivalry, but that was put to the side as Towns shared his experiences with the Philly center.

Embiid and the 76ers will play again Monday at home against the Orlando Magic.

Joel Embiid has missed the Philadelphia 76ers' last eight games after testing positive for COVID-19, but he reportedly could be back on the court as early as Saturday for the team's matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"There's optimism that Joel Embiid can be back on this upcoming homestand in Philadelphia," ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said Tuesday on NBA Today (1:30 mark). "They play Saturday, they play Monday, and there's optimism it could be as soon as Saturday." 

The Sixers have had a wild start to the 2021-22 season.

Embiid has missed half of the team's games. Ben Simmons hasn't appeared at all as his stand-off with the Sixers and desire to be traded lingers well into the season. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe have missed seven games each, also due to the NBA's coronavirus health and safety protocols.

And somehow, through it all, the Sixers have managed to go 10-8 and avoid outright disaster. 

One reason has been the performance of second-year guard Tyrese Maxey, thrust into the starting lineup at point guard in the absence of Simmons. He's responded by averaging 18.7 points and 4.6 assists per game and looks like a true future building block for the Sixers. 

But the Sixers bench has stepped up in a big way too. Players like George Niang (11.8 PPG, 39 percent from three) and Furkan Korkmaz (10.3 PPG, 3.9 APG) have been revelations. Andre Drummond (7.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, 2.3 APG) has exceeded all expectations. Seth Curry's three-point shooting (43.5 percent) has cooled off a little, but he remains one of the league's elite sharpshooters. 

Despite the team treading water and getting healthy again, though, the return of Embiid is still paramount. The superstar center finished as the runner-up in the MVP voting last year after averaging 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and a steal per game. He also shot 37.7 percent from three. 

Embiid is the best two-way center in the NBA, leading the Sixers in scoring and serving as the team's defensive keystone in the paint. With him this year, the Sixers are 7-2. Without him, just 3-6.

Whether Simmons eventually returns to the team or is traded for another star, the Sixers will only go as far as Embiid can take him this season. 

The latest team to enter the Ben Simmons trade watch is the Boston Celtics, as first reported by The Athletic on Monday.  

It would seem highly unlikely for Simmons to join the Celtics unless Boston’s outgoing package sent All-Star wing Jaylen Brown to join Joel Embiid in Philly.

That’s not to say that the two sides discussed Brown in significant detail, but he would be the Celtics player—an All-Star with proven playoff experience—that Sixers president Daryl Morey surely told Boston brass he coveted in exchange for Simmons. Morey has been direct with interested teams about the players he’d move Simmons for, and league personnel also assert Jayson Tatum remains entrenched as Boston’s true cornerstone.

Boston now joins ​​Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Minnesota, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio and Toronto as the known teams that remain engaged with Philadelphia. But the Sixers have received very few firm offers for Simmons at this juncture, sources said, and have mainly outlined two- and three-team frameworks they would accept.

In those conversations, Morey has long maintained his team is only open to moving Simmons for a player like Brown, one that keeps the Sixers’ title chances starring Embiid at the same high level as it does with Simmons, despite the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up’s obvious interest in playing elsewhere. 

The team’s 8-2 start under Doc Rivers has alleviated any potential pressure that a slow start, such as Boston’s, could have led ownership to encourage Morey’s front office to move Simmons. A few interested teams were certainly hoping that would be the case, just as Morey was hoping for that to unfold in Portland. 

To acquire Brown, Philadelphia would likely need to include draft capital with Simmons and perhaps an additional player. As evidenced in their pursuit of James Harden, the Sixers are willing to pay for an incoming All-Star they deem is an upgrade over Simmons.  

In those conversations with Houston, the Sixers were said to have discussed each of Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle in addition to Simmons and multiple future draft picks. Today, though, Sixers staffers have been encouraged by the early returns of Tyrese Maxey as a starting guard, and the 21-year-old would seem to be untouchable in any Simmons trade conversation that didn’t bring back an All-NBA guard such as Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal. 

Perhaps Maxey and Brown could share ball-handling duties similar to Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan’s collaboration all those years in Toronto, or the recent pairing of Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton in Milwaukee. Brown’s defensive prowess could support Embiid on the perimeter. 

Any move including Brown likely isn’t coming any time soon, however. When push ultimately comes to shove, the Celtics would seem far more inclined to offer a package centered around Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III, which was the often-rumored framework of Boston’s initial efforts to land Aaron Gordon before last year’s trade deadline. 

But a three-team framework, sending Smart and Williams and picks for another All-Star to reroute to Philly, would seem to be the one possible route for Boston to land Simmons without sacrificing Brown. Philadelphia has similarly encouraged teams such as Minnesota and Indiana to acquire a player the Sixers value that would be equal to Simmons’ impact on the team’s title window, league sources told B/R. 

Smart invited questions about the Celtics’ young core after criticizing Brown and Tatum’s ball dominance following a recent loss to the Chicago Bulls. Smart’s dissatisfaction with Boston’s offensive rhythm dates back to last spring, according to league sources, when Celtics staffers also recognized Smart’s displeasure seeing his name floating in trade whispers.

Despite that, Smart accepted a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension this offseason. Smart is the longest-tenured Celtics player, the first draft pick of Boston’s rebuild from the Big Three era, and has long been a favorite of Brad Stevens and the team’s front office. 

It feels like part of why his name is often mentioned in trade rumors, rather than completed deals, has come from Boston holding a high asking price for Smart that interested teams have not met. 

But now the Celtics stand at just 4-6, with their next six games coming against Eastern Conference contenders or teams with records of .500 or better. New head coach Ime Udoka was hired with the goal of returning this team to the postseason, and front offices around the league are expected to increase trade chatter in the lead up to December 15, when the majority of players who signed new contracts in free agency first become eligible to be traded. 

That still appears to be the earliest date Simmons will be moved, whether to Boston or any other interested suitor. 

There’s belief among rival executives and league personnel that Simmons could even remain on the Sixers roster past the trade deadline. Morey’s asking price remains higher than any rival front office has been willing to match. The weekly updates on Simmons’ status with the team and whether he’s being fined have had no impact on his trade value among rival executives.  

But there’s now been a moment of flirtation with Boston, and every deal in the NBA stems from a first phone call. Back in December 2014, for example, Boston called Phoenix about trading for Isaiah Thomas. It was the first brief exchange that inevitably led to the Celtics nabbing Thomas a few minutes before the 2015 trade deadline that February. 

For now, Philadelphia officials will remain steadfast in their hopes that Simmons will return to play and help the Sixers contend for a championship until a trade offer they find suitable arrives. That will either require Simmons and Philadelphia to play past this dark cloud together or another team’s stumble to force that front office’s hand, leading to them pushing more chips into the middle. Maybe that team will be Boston, but this story has a long way to unfold. 

Jake Fischer covers the NBA for Bleacher Report and is the author of Built to Lose: How the NBA's Tanking Era Changed the League Forever.