Tobias Harris had 22 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Philadelphia 76ers past the Atlanta Hawks 122-94 on Saturday.
Joel Embiid added 19 points, Tyrese Maxey contributed 16 and Seth Curry had 15 for the Sixers, who won their second in a row. Shake Milton had 11 and Matisse Thybulle scored 11 points while adding four steals and three blocked shots.
The Sixers played without Ben Simmons for the sixth straight game for personal reasons.
This was the first meeting since the Hawks defeated the Sixers in seven games in last season’s Eastern Conference semifinals.
Cam Reddish paced the Hawks with 16 points, while Trae Young added 13 points and 10 assists. Bogdan Bogdanovic had 13 points and Clint Capela chipped in with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
The Hawks have dropped two straight since winning three of their first four.
The Sixers built a 39-24 lead midway through the second quarter before the Hawks responded with a 6-0 spurt to close within nine with 5:46 remaining.
Harris dropped in a 10-footer in the lane with 9.6 seconds left and the Sixers pulled ahead 60-46 at halftime. Embiid and Harris combined for 29 of the 60 points.
No Atlanta player reached double figures by the half.
Philadelphia extended its advantage to 71-51 when Embiid caught a tough pass in the low post and scored with 8:53 remaining in the third.
On Atlanta’s next two possessions, Bogdanovic hit a pair of jumpers. De’Andre Hunter then converted a layup and the Hawks cut the deficit to 71-57.
The Sixers elevated their defense in the final few minutes of the third to go back ahead 89-69 at the end of the quarter.
Thybulle stole the ball at midcourt and dribbled all the way in for a thunderous two-handed dunk for a 93-72 advantage with 9:55 to go.
Following an empty Hawks possession, Furkan Korkmaz flipped the ball off the backboard, caught it and scored for a 23-point lead.
It was more than enough of a cushion for the Sixers to cruise to the win.
–Field Level Media
