What a gutpunch of a game.
Despite missing Tyrese Maxey, Sixers stars Joel Embiid and Paul George turned back the clock to keep Philadelphia in this game down to the brutal end. In a game in which they had every opportunity to win, even down the stretch, to lose in the manner that they did is certainly frustrating, between both what the team could control and events outside their control.
A 17-7 run over the last four-plus minutes of the first quarter gave Atlanta a 10-point advantage, causing the Sixers to play from behind for nearly the entire night. As the game would continue, the Sixers would slowly but surely crawl their way back into this game, closing the lead to four at the half.
Rookie VJ Edgecombe would put on a show in the fourth quarter, scoring 17 of his 26 points in one of his best games as a pro. Flying up, down, and all over the court, Edgecombe helped to keep the Sixers in this game, even providing them an opportunity to seal the game down the stretch.
Entering the fourth quarter, the Sixers were down just three points. As Paul George put on an offensive display, scoring 14 points in the quarter, the Sixers found themselves down by just one point with roughly 40 seconds remaining. George, looking to give Philadelphia its first lead since the midpoint of the second quarter, dribbled down the clock, determined to get a shot, but was consistently thwarted by Vit Krejci of all defenders, taking a fading corner three with the shot clock and game clock fading.
George was the right player who simply made the wrong play in the closing moment, but the rookie had his vet's back as VJ Edgecombe soared into the crowd of bodies coming out with the offensive board and getting the ball to Joel Embiid at the top of the key.
At that point, one of three things should have happened. Joel should have immediately begun working his way to the basket, with eyes on the prowl for the dish if he couldn't work a clear shot. Alternatively, with a fresh 14 on the clock, the Sixers could have quickly reset their offense with the ball either in Embiid's or George's hands. The third option, arguably the best, would be for Nick Nurse to call a timeout to reset the offense.
With two timeouts remaining and his coach's challenge, it's likely Nurse did not want to part with his flexibility down the stretch. But, with less than 20 seconds on the clock, it was a clear opportunity to refocus the offense, but that is with the benefit of hindsight.
Worse than the rushed play, which led to a poor sequence between Embiid and Quentin Grimes and ultimately to a poor shot by Grimes, was the upcoming missed call by the officiating crew that significantly affected the Sixers' chances of winning the game.
The obvious missed call aside, the Sixers lost this game due to their own failure to execute, not the officials'. While we can all be aware enough to call the crew's mistake what it was, the Sixers should not have been in that moment to begin with. It certainly impacted their ability to contend for the win, but not nearly as much as their poor defensive effort in the first quarter or poor decision-making in the closing seconds.
While there are no moral victories, there are positives to take away and lessons to learn. Among the greatest positives was the continually impressive play by the Sixers' veteran stars.
Throughout the night, Paul George looked more and more like the former nine-time All-Star Philadelphia signed up for during the 2024 offseason. With a game-high 35 points, four rebounds and three assists on the evening, George led the way for Philadelphia offensively in Maxey's absence.
After scoring 23 in the team's previous matchup against the Indiana Pacers, George has now scored a combined 58 points over his last two games with the Sixers, the most of any two-game stretch since he came to Philadelphia.
George is in a completely different space this season. After dealing with health issues and matters bigger than basketball last season, Paul George is quickly re-establishing himself as a rounding, key member the team needs him to be to succeed moving forward.
The same can be said of Joel Embiid, who secured his first double-double of the 2025-26 NBA season. To play in this game at all was a milestone of sorts for Embiid, as it marked the first time all season Embiid had played twice in three days.
Embiid has spoken about his desire to play more frequently to help him get into a better rhythm. While there should be a fair amount of salt taken with this, as it occurred during a time when the Sixers only played twice in eleven days, it's a sign of progress that will hopefully be repeated even as the team returns to a more regular schedule.
The Sixers will enjoy another break before their next game, the first of a road and home back-to-back. It's almost a certainty that Embiid will miss one of the two upcoming games. That being said, he may have a greater chance of playing in the upcoming road matchup, considering the opponent and the spacing of Embiid's workload.
The Sixers will next head to New York on Friday for a matchup against the division rival Knicks. Embiid has played the Knicks just once since his memorable performance against the team in the 2024 playoffs. In that singular matchup, Embiid went just 2-11 from the field, scoring just 13 points.
While nothing is yet confirmed, logic suggests that Embiid will have a desire to play the Knicks, especially on their home court, giving way to a fantastic trolling opportunity if he plays continuously as he has over these last two games.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 19.
