Which 76ers Stood Out in Preseason Finale vs Hawks?

As a way to wrap up their preseason slate, the Philadelphia 76ers welcomed the Atlanta Hawks into the Wells Fargo Center as they looked to even their 1-2 record.

Nick Nurse put out a starting lineup that fans may become familiar with, as Joel Embiid returned to he lineup for the first time all preseason, along with P.J. Tucker, who was also out against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night.

This lineup came out the gate struggling, trailing the Hawks, 49-61, at the end of the first half in large part due to struggles on the Sixers' offensive end.

Granted this would sharpen up, as Philadelphia pulled off a comeback, outscoring Atlanta 71-45 in the second half, officially leveling off the preseason record, with six days before their official opening match against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Which Sixers Stood Out vs. Hawks?

Joel Embiid

The biggest talking point surrounding Friday's match was the return of Joel Embiid, who hasn't played since the Sixers' game seven loss to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

The defending MVP was flirting with a possible return on Monday night, but sat out after suffering from an illness.

The Cameroonian superstar didn't look to be himself at first, ending the first half with only six point, all of which came from the free throw line, after going 0/6 from the field.

Yet, the third quarter is where Embiid would show his true colors, scoring 11 points, which would account for nearly a third of the team's points.

The Process would end the night with 21 points, while also blocking two shots and securing five rebounds.

De'Anthony Melton

Friday night would mark De'Anthony Melton's second start in the preseason, a role he may have to get used to with James Harden's status pending.

If this is the case, Melton has made it more than clear that he is ready for the challenge, as the 25-year-old dropped a game-high 29 points, with also grabbing three boards for his team.

A bulk of Melton's damage came in the third quarter, when he dropped 14 points, with 12 of those coming from his four makes from deep.

Tyrese Maxey

Another player who struggled in the first half was Tyrese Maxey, closing out the first half with only eight points to his name on a shaky 3/7 from the field.

While he nearly double his scoring totals, ending the match with 15 points, his real damage was done by his vision, dropping a career-high 12 assists against the Hawks.

Maxey broke his 10-assist career-high he previously set against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022.