Hawks at 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel suggested to anyone that would listen that the team's employ of three starting-caliber centers was not a good idea, but no one has ever seen it even be attempted during a real game. The 76ers will again be without Noel when they face a team with no controversy at the starting center spot in the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Health has kept Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid from appearing in a game together since Philadelphia acquired the three as top-6 picks in consecutive drafts in 2013 (Noel), 2014 (Embiid) and 2015 (Okafor), and Embiid did not even make his NBA debut until an encouraging performance in Wednesday's season opener against Oklahoma City. The 22-year-old started and scored 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting in 22 minutes while Okafor, who is working his way back from knee surgery, was limited to 16 minutes off the bench and Noel (knee) sat out. Dwight Howard endured his share of health problems over the last few seasons but came into 2016-17 with no issues and delivered 11 points, 19 rebounds and three blocks in his Hawks debut on Thursday. The Atlanta Native - a career 56.8 percent free-throw shooter - even made 3-of-4 attempts from the line.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HAWKS (1-0): Dennis Schroder was handed the keys to the Atlanta offense when Jeff Teague was traded away over the summer and got a further vote of confidence from the organization by signing a four-year, $70 million extension prior to the season opener. Schroder responded with 14 points in the 114-99 win over Washington on Thursday but the highlights came from a more obscure source in reserve guard Tim Hardaway Jr. The Michigan product scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and went 8-of-13 from the floor in 23 minutes.
ABOUT THE 76ERS (0-1): Philadelphia's difficulties with keeping top picks healthy is continuing this season with No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons down after undergoing foot surgery, but Embiid's return provided the fans with a rare positive. Embiid is still under a minutes limit but showed off his skill set by shooting the ball from distance, putting it on the floor and playing with his back to the basket in his debut. "We tried to get the ball to him a lot," 76ers coach Brett Brown told reporters. "To have somebody like Joel, where the mystery (of his skill set) is solved, what do you do? You get him the ball, as much as you can."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Hawks All-Star F Paul Millsap recorded team highs of 28 points and six assists in the opener.
2. Philadelphia F Dario Saric, who made his NBA debut on Wednesday after being drafted in 2014, managed five points on 2-of-12 shooting and seven rebounds in 27 minutes.
3. Atlanta took each of the three meetings last season by an average of 29 points.