Joel Embiid Scores Career-High 49 Points to Power 76ers Past Trae Young, Hawks

The Philadelphia 76ers improved their league-best home record to 27-2 by defeating the visiting Atlanta Hawks 129-112 at Wells Fargo Center on Monday evening.

What started out as a blowout turned into a nail-biter. Philly's largest lead of the night was 21 points. The 76ers entered the third period with a 69-52 advantage, but the Hawks outscored them 40-22 in the frame to enter the fourth quarter up 92-91—capped by a circus three-pointer by Trae Young:

Philadelphia rebuilt a double-digit lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation, and Atlanta could not surmount it this time.

The 76ers were able to shake off the pesky Hawks because of All-Star center Joel Embiid's career-high 49 points. The 25-year-old notched his third straight double-double and 33rd of the season.

The Sixers rebounded from a 119-98 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday without All-Star point guard Ben Simmons. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier Monday that the 2016 first overall pick will miss "an undetermined period of time" with a back injury:

The Hawks, meanwhile, were without guard DeAndre' Bembry (abdomen) and center Clint Capela (heel). Capela has yet to make his debut with Atlanta since being traded from the Houston Rockets earlier this month.

Philly improved to 36-22, and Atlanta dropped to 17-42.

Notable Performances:

PHI C Joel Embiid: 49 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

PHI F Tobias Harris: 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block

PHI G Furkan Korkmaz: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal

PHI G Josh Richardson: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block

ATL G Trae Young: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 10 assists

ATL F De'Andre Hunter: 22 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists

ATL F John Collins: 21 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 blocks

ATL F Bruno Fernando: 10 points, 4 rebounds

Joel Embiid Carries Ben Simmons-less Sixers Down the Stretch 

The boo-birds were out at Wells Fargo Center as the Hawks surged in the third quarter to come back from as many as 21 points down:

Then Embiid bucketed 22 points in the fourth quarter to shush them:

Embiid caught heat for calling himself "the best player in the world" after dropping 39 points and 16 rebounds in a 112-104 overtime win versus the Brooklyn Nets last Thursday. He doubled down following this game (NSFW language):

If not for Embiid's otherworldly performance, the Sixers would have been primed to lose at home to the league's third-worst team. Philly would be fielding even more questions about their viability in the Eastern Conference, especially with Ben Simmons sidelined indefinitely.

There has been plenty of speculation about whether Embiid and Simmons are the right duo to lead the Sixers into the future.

ESPN's Tim Bontemps reported on trade rumors last week: "There is no consensus, but league execs think that if the Sixers do explore a trade, Embiid is more likely to be moved—health being the determining factor in building around Simmons. One exec added that a big trade featuring Simmons or Embiid might be the only way to reshape the team."

If Embiid continues to dominate the way he has in Philly's last two home games, the Sixers may want to reconsider their alleged thinking:

The true test will come over the team's upcoming stretch.

The Sixers have been a completely different team on the road than at home—for the worse—with a 9-20 road record. Five of Philadelphia's next six games will be away, including a March 1 matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers followed by a March 3 meeting with the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers.

Trae Young Can't Power Hawks to Comeback Victory

Young scored at least 20 points for his eighth straight game, and Atlanta lost.

Trae Young Reel

01:12

That has been the story more often than not for the Hawks, though the team had upset the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks with Young dropping 50 and 25 points, respectively, in their last two games prior to Monday.

The difference for the 21-year-old against Philadelphia was that he went just 2-of-11 from three-point range. The Hawks went a mere 21.1 percent from deep opposite the Sixers' 40.0 percent (12-of-30). 

The Hawks go as Young goes.

This season is obviously a lost one, but it goes without saying that the organization's No. 1 priority in the offseason should be getting Young another running mate to push Atlanta to its first playoff appearance since the 2016-17 campaign.

What's Next? 

Both teams resume action Wednesday evening.

The Sixers will travel to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Hawks will return to Atlanta to begin a four-game homestand against the Orlando Magic.