Instant Takeaways From A Clutch Atlanta Hawks Win Against The Philadelphia 76ers

The Atlanta Hawks were in danger of blowing a close game against the 76ers, but they got a gutsy win to go 2-0 in the season series.

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) controls the ball against Philadelphia 76ers forward Dominick Barlow (25) in the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

After getting blown off the court by the Detroit Pistons, the Hawks had a great opportunity to get back on track against a Tyrese Maxey-less Sixers. Maxey gave Atlanta 44 points and went toe-to-toe with Jalen Johnson in the clutch, so not having their best player certainly put the 76ers at a disadvantage tonight. However, both teams had to dig deep for this one. Fortunately, the Hawks came out on top due to some excellent defense late and a horrific last possession for the 76ers.

Dyson Daniels was excellent on offense tonight, leading the Hawks with 27 points on 13-19 shooting from the field. He got help from Onyeka Okongwu (20 points, 15 rebounds and four assists on 5-10 shooting from deep) and Jalen Johnson, who recorded his fourth straight triple-double of 12 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists on only two turnovers. Philadephia had two of its three stars in Joel Embiid and Paul George, who combined for 57 points. VJ Edgecombe also turned in a star-quality performance with 26 points and six rebounds on 4-10 shooting from deep. However, they didn't have enough to hold off Atlanta and the Hawks came out on top.

1. Battle of the Benches

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) drives against Atlanta Hawks guard Vit Krejci (27) in the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

On paper, Atlanta has one of the deeper teams in the NBA. They've been forced to dig deep due to the absences of Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis, which they've largely done a good job of responding to. Tonight was an excellent display for Atlanta's second unit. Vit Krejci and Asa Newell both stepped up, combining for 28 points off the bench and chipping in at pivotal times for Atlanta. Krejci shot the cover off the ball, going 4-6 from deep en route to finishing with 19 points, while Newell scored nine points and grabbed four boards. It seemed like their biggest plays always came when the Hawks needed it the most and it made Philadelphia's nine points off the bench look pathetic in comparison.

2. Hard-Fought In the Paint

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) in the first quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The 76ers have led the NBA in blocks for a decent portion of the season and sit within the top ten for rebounds, so it shouldn't be surprising that the Hawks were going to need to excel in the paint in order to win this one. They did a great job of battling with the 76ers inside. Embiid had his first double-double of the season, putting up 22 points and 14 rebounds to pair with two blocks. Philadelphia also got a staggering 21 offensive rebounds due to their motor, but the Hawks still won the rebound battle by a 57-54 margin. There were a lot of possessions that the Hawks got the upper hand in due to being slightly more active on the boards and aggressively contesting shots in the post.

It also helped that the Hawks shot the cover off the ball as a team, going 17-34 from deep and keeping pace with a 76ers team that shot 41% from beyond the arc. There haven't been many games where the Hawks have beat teams up in the paint and also out-dueled them from distance. This happened to be one of them.

3. Paul George Magnet Ball

Dec 14, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Paul George (8) shoots the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) during the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images

There's been a lot of criticism over the 76ers' decision to hand Paul George a max contract at 35 years old, but he was excellent for them tonight. With Maxey out, George absolutely stepped up and scored x points on 7-9 shooting from deep. There wasn't much that the Hawks could do to slow him down when he's hitting shots like this.

https://t.co/l5tUWcpiWQ pic.twitter.com/zqFGBLLBSK

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) December 15, 2025

It's hard to assess whether it's indicative of a broader problem for Atlanta. Risacher took the primary assignment on George and he largely did a good job of staying in front of him inside the key. The young Hawks wing also matched George with some big momentum threes of his own, going 3-5 from deep and stepping up when the Hawks needed a big shot. He was the only starter for Atlanta to finish with a negative +/-, but he had the toughest assignment and did enough to get the win.

4) Stars Out of Sync

Nov 30, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker (7) controls the ball against the Philadelphia 76ers in the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

It seems nitpicky to criticize Jalen Johnson on a night where he had a triple-double, but this was not his sharpest game. Although he did an excellent job as a playmaker and battled on the boards, it was a pretty bad game for him as a scorer. His shot just looked off throughout the game and he missed a few easy ones inside the paint. It's pretty impressive that the Hawks won a three-point game in spite of him going 5-17 from deep and failing to connect on his only three of the game. Johnson absolutely made a difference tonight, but he wasn't able to affect the game much as a scorer.

Surprisingly, it was a tough night for Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well. NAW was a late addition to the lineup tonight, but it looked like the Hawks might have been better served with giving him the game off. He went 3-18 from the field and only scored 12 points. He still finished as a net-positive due to racking up six assists, but he did not have it going as a scorer. This is the same Philly defense that he torched for 30 earlier in the season, so it seems likely that he just didn't feel 100% tonight.

Even when both Johnson and NAW don't have their shot going, it's nice to see that they can still affect the game as decision-makers. The Hawks have long lacked players who distribute the ball outside of Trae Young and their de-centralized approach to playmaking has made a big difference this season. Three of the Hawks' five starters finished with 4+ assists, which is something that would have been a rarity last year.

Looking Ahead

The Hawks get some extended time off due to NBA Cup action before they take on the Hornets on Thursday, Dec. 18. That leads into a massive test against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, which could see Atlanta take on the 2025-26 NBA Cup Champions.