Sixers: 3 lessons from lousy Game 1 vs. Hawks

The red-hot Atlanta Hawks laid siege to the Wells Fargo Center Sunday afternoon, and the Philadelphia 76ers were ill-prepared to withstand the onslaught. A fiery fourth-quarter comeback made things interesting, but the Hawks essentially wrapped up the win before halftime.

Atlanta couldn’t miss in the first half, aided by lackluster Sixers defense and a series of inexplicable coaching decisions from the notoriously stubborn Doc Rivers. Philadelphia righted wrongs late in the game — and came tantalizing close to turning the tables as a result — but a loss is a loss, and the Sixers no longer have home court advantage. It’s clear the Hawks came to play.

Here are some of the lessons learned.

Sixers lessons learned from Game 1 vs. Hawks: Joel Embiid, still good

Despite a small tear on his right meniscus, Joel Embiid suited up and played 38 minutes in Philadelphia’s Game 1 loss. He posted 39 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocks on 12-for-21 shooting. For someone experiencing pain in his knee, that’s pretty impressive.

The Hawks cannot and will not slow down Embiid when he’s out there. Clint Capela is one of the best on-paper Embiid stoppers in the NBA, and it made little difference in Game 1. Embiid’s knee could get worse, and he will likely have good days and bad days as the injury lingers on. That said, it’s clear Embiid can still propel the Sixers. He’s an MVP candidate for a reason.

Unfortunately, the Sixers wasted 38 strong minutes of MVP basketball in a losing effort. The execution elsewhere was not up to snuff, and Doc Rivers’ poor coaching (more on that in a second…) meant Embiid could do little to halt Atlanta’s momentum.

We will see how the injury report looks ahead of Game 2 on Tuesday.