Sixers-Hawks takeaways: Doc Rivers’ busy day, Joel Embiid’s coming into form, and grueling series

Doc Rivers coached with a heavy heart after burying his best friend in the Chicago area. Joel Embiid is starting to play at MVP-caliber level. And the 76ers are learning it is hard for teams to pull off sweeps in a regular-season, two-game series.

Below is my look at three things that stood out during the Sixers’ 121-109 victory over the Atlanta Hawks Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Sixers coach arrived in Philadelphia in time for the game after attending the funeral for his best friend, Craig Patterson, who passed away on Oct. 28. Patterson, Corey Cooper, and Rivers have been the closest of friends since elementary school.

But despite his heavy heart, Rivers led the Sixers (6-7) to a much-needed victory. He did not address the media following the game due to the personal matter.

» READ MORE: Did the Sixers let Charles Bassey go too soon? He’s thriving with Gregg Popovich and the Spurs.

“It’s a lot, man,” assistant coach Sam Cassell said. “It’s a lot. The friend that passed away is like a brother. He probably spent more time with his friend that passed away than most of his family members, man. When you lose a great friend like that, it’s like losing someone in your family.

“So for him to get on a plane and fly back, this is business. One thing I can always says about Doc Rivers, he’s about business.”

This isn’t the first time Rivers arrived back in a city in time to coach a game after attending a funeral. He did that last season when the Sixers played in Charlotte, N.C., after a family member passed away.

The Sixers’ All-Star center is averaging 33.6 points and 11 rebounds in his three games back after missing the three previous games with the flu. Saturday marked his best game of the season in regard to season highs for points (42) and minutes played (40 minutes).

Not bad, considering he has had a tough time getting into a rhythm and his condition was subpar. But on this night, he looked strong throughout the game.

“From game to game, obviously, I’m way better than back against Phoenix [on Nov. 7],” Embiid said. “Against Phoenix, I really couldn’t play three or four minutes at a time. I think tonight, at one point, I played like 15 minutes straight.

» READ MORE: Banged-up Sixers hold on to defeat Atlanta Hawks, 121-109, thanks to Joel Embiid’s 42 points

“So it’s getting there. You know, whatever it takes to win.”

Embiid tweaked his ankle in the second quarter. He plans on playing in Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz at home.

“I’m going to see how it reacts tomorrow,” he said. “It’s pretty sore. But we’ll see.”

Embiid has also been playing with an injured right shoulder. He said he doesn’t know what happened to it. However, he added that some days he can’t lift his arm up.

“And when I go block shots, I really feel it,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on. But it’s whatever.”

The Sixers completed their third two-game series against the same opponent with Saturday’s victory.

They faced the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 26 and 28 at Scotiabank Arena. Then they faced the Washington Wizards on Oct. 31 at the Capital One Arena before hosting Washington at home on Nov. 2. Then the Sixers faced Hawks Thursday at State Farm Arena before Saturday’s home game.

They split all three series.

“It’s like a mini playoff series,” Tyrese Maxey said of the splits. “It’s hard. It’s hard to win in the NBA. It’s extremely hard to win in the NBA. This is the highest level of basketball. Very good coaches, very good coaching staffs. They make adjustments.”

But he said the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s game is that his team is never out of it. The Hawks defeated them, 104-95, on Thursday, and the Sixers returned the favor.

» READ MORE: Banged-up Sixers hold on to defeat Atlanta Hawks, 121-109, thanks to Joel Embiid’s 42 points

“Tonight, we had to bounce back and show them we are a competitive team,” he said.

The Sixers’ goal is pull off a series sweep. They’ll get an opportunity to do so against the Orlando Magic on Nov. 25 and 27 at the Amway Center.

Embiid gets this for leading all scorers with 42 points along with 10 rebounds, six assists, two blocks, and two steals. Fourteen of his points came in the first quarter on 5-for-7 shooting.

Sixers backup center Paul Reed gets this award. The third-year player had four fouls and was a minus-10 in 7 minutes, 59 seconds of action. He failed to score and attempt a shot. Reed also didn’t produce any other statistic.