Philadelphia 76ers Reach .500 Mark for 1st Time Since 2013

The Philadelphia 76ers have been the definition of bottom-feeders in the NBA over the past few seasons. The club has finished in the bottom two spots of the Eastern Conference in each of the last four campaigns.

Those days may finally be coming to an end for the City of Brotherly Love. The 76ers took down the Atlanta Hawks by a score of 119-109 to move the team's record to 4-4 the season, marking the first time the team has owned a .500 or better record since Nov. 16, 2013, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The team began 2017-18 with three straight losses and a 1-4 record through five tilts before a three-game winning streak brought the record back to the .500 mark. That streak included wins over two playoff teams from last year in the Hawks and the Houston Rockets.

Even more promising, two of the team's top three scorers from the contest—Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons—are 23 years old or younger. Even if the club isn't ready to compete this season, Philadelphia possesses a young trio of skilled players with Embiid, Simmons and rookie first-overall pick Markelle Fultz.

Fultz battled shoulder issues early in the season before being ruled out indefinitely. His timetable for return remains unclear, but he recently did go through drills at shootaround Wednesday, per Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

With a young core group, Philadelphia has the potential makings of a playoff run in 2017-18 if Fultz can get and stay healthy. The 76ers return to the floor Thursday evening to take on the Indiana Pacers in an attempt to go over the .500 mark.