Trae Young Drops 35 as Hawks Take Game 1 vs. 76ers Despite Joel Embiid's Return

Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks to a 128-124 Game 1 upset over the Philadelphia 76ers despite the return of Joel Embiid.

The guard scored 35 points in Sunday's second-round road win at the Wells Fargo Center. After making easy work of the New York Knicks in Round 1, the Hawks showed they will remain a tough team to beat in their first trip to the Eastern Conference Semifinals since 2016.

Atlanta sent a message early with 42 points in the first quarter, eventually building a 20-point lead at halftime. It looked like it would stay an easy win until a furious comeback by the 76ers in the closing minutes.

Philadelphia ultimately cut the lead down to three with less than a minute remaining until a clutch Bogdan Bogdanovic three quieted the crowd.

A John Collins dunk then put the game nearly out of reach:

The 76ers continued to fight, but Atlanta shot well enough at the free-throw line to survive with a narrow victory.

Embiid dominated with 39 points in his first game back after suffering a knee injury in Round 1, but the East's No. 1 seed still couldn't get the opening win of the series.

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Notable Performances

Trae Young, PG, ATL: 35 points, 10 assists, 2 steals

John Collins, PF, ATL: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

Bogdan Bogdanovic, SG, ATL: 21 points, 5 assists

Joel Embiid, C, PHI: 39 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks

Ben Simmons, PG, PHI: 17 points, 10 assists, 4 steals

Tobias Harris, PF, PHI: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals

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Trae Young, Outside Shooting Torch Sixers Defense

A bigger stage certainly wasn't too much for Trae Young, who continues to thrive in his first NBA postseason.

The guard was nearly unstoppable early with 25 points and seven assists in the first half:

The hot shooting helped the Hawks build a 74-54 lead at halftime while impressing just about everyone watching along.

The rest of the team did plenty to help him out, finishing 20-of-47 as a team from three-point range.

Bogdanovic and Collins each had 21, while Kevin Huerter helped off the bench with 15 points.

The outside shooting and scoring depth meant opponents can't cheat off Young, making this a very difficult unit to stop.

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Healthy Joel Embiid Not Enough for Sixers

The biggest story entering the series was the health of Joel Embiid after the MVP candidate suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee in Game 4 of the first round.

As good as the 76ers have been this season, playing without the star center was a terrifying proposition.

Embiid was fortunately able to play in Game 1 and looked as good as ever with some tough baskets inside.

The four-time All-Star kept the pressure on the defense, drawing a lot of fouls while also opening up opportunities for his teammates.

The problem is the 76ers didn't take advantage of the openings, finishing 10-of-29 from three-point range in the loss. A combined 19 turnovers as a team further slowed the offense.

Defense was also a major issue with uncharacteristically poor play on that end of the court.

Matisse Thybulle seemingly fared better defensively against Young than Danny Green, but the Hawks had too many players making shots.

The 76ers did show plenty of resolve to lead a comeback, with Ben Simmons having big moments on both ends.

Simmons made all seven of his shots from the field and had 10 assists to keep the offense flowing. He also hurt the team with 3-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line to go with five turnovers.

Small improvements from Simmons and the rest of the team could be enough to get the 76ers back on track in Game 2.

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What's Next?

The teams will return to action for Game 2 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.