Sixers vs. Hawks takeaways: Embiid is still the man, Thybulle is their best defender, and Harris needs to stay essential

Joel Embiid is still the 76ers’ unquestioned best player.

The same can be said about Matisse Thybulle on the defensive end. And Tobias Harris needs to be more involved in the offense once James Harden and Tyrese Maxey return from injury.

Below is my look at three things that stood out during Monday night’s 104-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks at the Wells Fargo Center.

If anyone needed confirmation that Embiid is still the Sixers’ Alpha Dog, they received it against the Hawks (11-9).

After missing four games with a left mid-foot joint sprain, Embiid was rusty at the start. But the perennial All-Star showed why he’s an MVP candidate, scoring his team’s final 11 points to win the game.

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Embiid made seven of eight foul shots and was 2-for-3 from the field during that stretch. Embiid finished with 30 points, marking his fifth straight game with at least 30 and eighth time in the 13 games he’s played.

He also had eight rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and two steals.

His final steal help the Sixers seal the victory. Embiid got his hands on a Trae Young pass intended for John Collins with 7 seconds remaining, and the Sixers clinging to a 101-100 lead.

“Obviously, just his presence and his dominance is huge for our whole group,” Harris said. “And I thought he really did a great job of involving everybody in the game. Seven assists is huge. And his ability to take over games, especially in the fourth quarter, is big for us.

“He did awesome and we are excited to have him back.”

This also marked Embiid’s sixth game of the season with at least 30 points, five rebounds and five assists, which is tied for the third-most this season.

There were some in preseason who wondered if Embiid or Harden was the team’s on-court Top Dog this season. It’s definitely Embiid.

Thybulle logged just 7 minutes, 34 seconds after missing the previous three games with left ankle inflammation. But he was a game-best plus-12 while finishing with a steal and scoring four points, making both of his shots.

The Sixers went on a 13-4 run after he entered the game in the second quarter. Thybulle gave his team a good lift on both sides of the court in his limited action.

At one point, All-Star guards Young and Dejounte Murray shied away from Thybulle and attacked other defenders on drives to the basket.

The Sixers standout’s defensive number are down due to limited minutes. But what he able to do on limited action against the Hawks shows why he’s a two-time All-Defensive second-team selection. He’s averaging 2.7 steals per 36 minutes, which is the second highest of his career.

Harris has been the fourth option behind Embiid, Harden, and Tyrese Maxey since Maxey’s emergence last season. However, he’s been a focal point of the offense while all three have been dealing with injuries. Harden (right foot tendon strain) and Maxey (left foot fracture) are still sidelined.

The forward finished with 24 points and a team-high 10 rebounds on Monday. This came after he averaged 18.9 points and 6.5 rebounds in his previous 11 games with at least one of the three big scorers sidelined. In addition to providing scoring, Harris has been an unselfish leader.

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But Monday marked his third straight 20-point outing and the fourth time he has done so in his last five games. Over that span, Harris averaged 23.0 points and 7.2 rebounds to make him one of four players to average at least 23 points and five rebounds in a minimum of four games.

The Sixers would have definitely struggled during their recent stretch without him.

They will benefit by somehow getting Harris more involved instead of going back to him standing in the corner and spacing the floor once Harden and Maxey return.

I was orginially under the belief that Harris was destined to go back to being underutilized. But I’m now convinced that would be a huge mistake.