Hawks Edge 76ers in Double-Overtime Thriller: Jalen Johnson’s 41-Point Explosion, Embiid’s Return Highlight 142-134 Atlanta Win on December 1, 2025

The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers delivered one of the young season’s wildest games, a double-overtime shootout that ended 142-134 in favor of Atlanta and is dominating NBA conversation today, December 1, 2025. The matchup at Xfinity Mobile Arena showcased contrasting trajectories in the Eastern Conference: a surging Hawks team tightening its identity and a 76ers squad still searching for consistency amid injuries and lineup shuffles.

Atlanta’s win was powered by a massive night from forward Jalen Johnson, who turned in a career performance with 41 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, asserting himself as more than just a breakout story and staking an early claim as a legitimate All-Star candidate. With star guard Trae Young sidelined, Johnson’s usage jumped, and he repeatedly punished mismatches, attacking off the dribble and punishing the Sixers in transition.

Supporting Johnson was guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who erupted for 34 points and keyed several of Atlanta’s most important runs, including a second-half surge that erased a Philadelphia lead and swung momentum. Role players Zaccharie Risacher, Mouhamed Gueye and Dyson Daniels added timely two-way contributions, from perimeter shot-making to deflections and help-side rotations that slowed the Sixers’ attack just enough in the extra periods.

For the 76ers, the loss stings in part because it came with positive headlines of its own. Philadelphia welcomed back star center Joel Embiid and promising guard VJ Edgecombe, adding firepower to a team that had been battling through absences and a recent home skid. Embiid helped anchor the offense with interior scoring and playmaking, while Edgecombe injected pace and aggression on the perimeter, but the Sixers’ defense wore down as the game stretched into double overtime.

The box score underscored how razor-thin the margin was: the teams traded leads throughout regulation, and Philadelphia forced extra time with a late push before Atlanta responded with clutch free throws and threes in the second overtime. A late Hawks bucket with under a second left in regulation was pivotal, swinging energy back to a road group that refused to fold.

Today, both franchises wake up with sharply different vibes. The Hawks, now 13-8, look like a deep, resilient contender that can win without its marquee star, while the 10-9 76ers confront a lingering question: can their revamped core defend well enough in crunch time to keep up in an Eastern Conference where Atlanta just reminded everyone how dangerous it can be.