Joel Embiid is back. The 76ers center will return to action Sunday night against the Atlanta Hawks at Xfinity Mobile Arena. This comes after the 7-foot-2, 280-pounder missed nine consecutive games because of knee injuries.

In the Sixers' 20th game of the season, Tyrese Maxey logged a season-low in minutes. It did not stop him from posting 35 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals in a blowout victory.

Embiid had missed the past nine games. The Sixers had not reported any structural issues or setbacks with his knee, calling the injury "day-to-day," although head coach Nick Nurse had acknowledged that Embiid was dealing with soreness.

Ash Gardner struck a 31-ball 50 and Sophia Dunkley hit 41, with the pair putting on 55 for the third wicket as Sixers closed on 164-5. Stars were 30-4 inside the powerplay of their reply, before Maia Bouchier reignited their innings.

The Sixers had 80 games scheduled in the regular season to account for a potential NBA Cup run. With the Knockout Rounds bracket set, the Sixers have two makeup games.

The veteran center, who had seven points and four rebounds in 10 minutes, dropped to the floor after contesting a second-quarter shot. Drummond was helped off the floor.

An anonymous source from the Philadelphia 76ers confirmed that the franchise has shifted its view of the "face of the franchise" this season.

Even though the 76ers have gotten off to a better start than they did in 2024-25, this could be an incredibly advantageous matchup for the Hawks.