3 Sixers Takeaways: Another Loss To An NBA Middling

Life without Joel Embiid hasn’t been kind to the Philadelphia 76ers. The embattled big man has missed all three games of his team’s current three-game losing streak wrapping around the NBA All-Star Break.

The shorthanded Sixers came out of the gates for the final stretch of the season with a 117-107 loss at Xfinity Mobile Arena against the 27-30 Atlanta Hawks.

Was it a throwaway game that Embiid and Paul George would’ve dominated under better circumstances? Or was it an indicator of the steep obstacles the Sixers face with two of their top players so frequently out of the lineup?

Tyrese Maxey began the night 2-10 from the field before taking a seat to begin the second quarter. His rocky start allowed the Hawks to hover with the lead for most of the first half.

While Cam Payne effectively handled the ball in his first NBA action of the season, the Hawks swarmed Maxey as the top scoring threat during his 39 minutes on the floor. Atlanta's containment of the breakout superstar with Embiid and George already out of the lineup kept the Sixers from generating enough offense to beat an NBA middling.

The Sixers threatened during the second half with short bursts, but they couldn’t sustain a run to overtake Atlanta. Maxey finished with 28 points, while Jalen Johnson led all scorers with 32.

Nick Nurse challenged Maxey, VJ Edgecombe, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Quentin Grimes to maximize their talent on fast-break opportunities for the easy buckets that can take pressure off an offense.

The Sixers hung around most of the evening with some highlights from Edgecombe and Adem Bona. The NBA’s Rising Stars MVP beat the first quarter buzzer with a three-ball that ignited the Philadelphia crowd. He later buried a catch-and-shoot, corner three with the type of quick release that’ll help him develop into a long-term NBA star.

However, two of the younger players in Nurse’s rotation against the Hawks appropriately defined the Sixers’ weaknesses more consistently. Edgecombe committed six of the 16 turnovers that prevented the offense from gaining an effective rhythm.

Bona shared time at center with Andre Drummond, but neither has regained an effective role during the last eight games without Embiid. The Sixers are 1-7 with a -126 point differential in the contests.

The Sixers picked up after the NBA All-Star Break in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff picture before the loss against the Hawks. The Play-In Tournament maximizes the incentive to stay in the top six to avoid fluky one-game scenarios that can flush a seventh- or eighth-seed’s entire 82-game season down the drain.

The home loss to the Hawks began a 28-game sprint to the regular season finish line on April 12.

The Toronto Raptors sit 1.5 games ahead of the Sixers in the fifth spot. While Nick Nurse’s former squad also looks like a solid matchup for Philadelphia, the first four seeds have significantly higher championship odds.

The Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, and New York Knicks will almost certainly finish ahead of the Sixers in the standings. The Cleveland Cavaliers occupy the fourth seed with a 3.5-game advantage. They’ve also clinched the first tiebreaker scenario, sweeping the first three of the four-game head-to-head season series against the Sixers.

Joel Embiid’s health, like it has for the better part of the past decade, will impact the 76ers’ playoff chances with incredible magnitude. The Sixers don't expect a long-term absence, but his continued health questions linger like a dark cloud over the franchise.

Nurse will also work to reintegrate Paul George when the 35-year-old returns from his 25-game suspension. He’ll be eligible to play the final 10 games of the regular season beginning on March 25 against the Chicago Bulls.

The Sixers continued their roster shuffle of two-ways and 10-days following the NBA Trade Deadline.

Their biggest addition, however, was 10-year NBA veteran Cam Payne, who had played in Serbia this season after an uneventful preseason stint with the Indiana Pacers.

Payne averaged 19.4 minutes in his 31-game stint with the Sixers in 2023-24 and 15.1 minutes in 72 games with the New York Knicks last season. He’s played 72 career games in the NBA Playoffs.

Tyrese Martin also joined the organization on a two-way deal. He averaged 8.2 points per game and 20.7 minutes in 97 games with the Brooklyn Nets the past two seasons.

The Allentown, PA native shared an interesting memory with Matt Murphy on 97.5 The Fanatic Sixers Pregame. As a child, he attended a preseason game between the Sixers and the Orlando Magic in 2014 at the PPL Center, home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, where he took a photo with former Process guard KJ McDaniels.

While Martin hasn’t reported to the 76ers yet, Nick Nurse spoke about his newest depth guard option.

Dalen Terry signed a two-way contract with the Sixers entering the NBA All-Star Break. He's played four seasons for the Bulls, who chose him with the 18th-overall pick in 2022. Terry has averaged 11 minutes in 34 games this season, numbers consistent with his career averages.

The former Arizona Wildcat adds size to a small backcourt at 6-foot-6.

Advanced Stats courtesy of Cleaning the Glass and ESPN Analytics