PHILADELPHIA _ The 76ers' struggled for a half.
Maybe it had to do with facing an Atlanta Hawks squad coached by former Sixers assistant Lloyd Pierce, who knows their weaknesses. Or maybe the team just had an off night.
But thanks to Ben Simmons, the Sixers were able to take a 113-92 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. The point guard scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter. His play enabled the Sixers (4-3) to outscore the Atlanta, 31-13, the decisive quarter to take a 78-60 advantage. Simmons also finished the game with 12 rebounds, nine assists and one block for his fifth double-double of the season.
The Hawks (2-4) didn't help their cause by making just 6 of 24 shots (25 percent) _ including 1 of 8 3-pointers _ in the third quarter.
While Simmons had a solid performance, Joel Embiid had his worst game of the season. The All-Star finished with season lows of 10 points and six rebounds. He made just 3 of 9 shots and committed four turnovers.
Dario Saric also struggled. The power forward was held to four points while making 1 of 9 shot attempts. He missed all five of his 3-pointers and all six of his first-half shot attempts. His lone basket came on a layup with 7:33 left in the third quarter.
Markelle Fultz finished with 16 points. Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 18 points. Trae Young, Dewayne Dedmon and Omari Spellman each added 11 apiece.
The Sixers crowd voiced their displeasure with the team's first-half effort.
There were some scattered boos after Saric missed a bunny late in the second quarter. Then the Sixers left the court to boos at the half with the scored tied at 47. At the time, the Sixers were shooting 33.3 percent and committed 10 of their 17 turnovers.
The crowd booed again following the Sixers' 11th turnover early in third quarter. But the boos turned to cheers as Simmons took over.
This game was a homecoming for several Hawks, including Pierce.
The rebuilding Hawks hired him on May 11 after a 24-58 season to duplicate the Sixers turnaround in "The ATL."
This marked his first game against his former team.
"I'm just reminded of how cold it is. I'm used to Atlanta weather now," Pierce jokingly said of playing in Philly after Monday morning's shootaround at the arena. "Nah, it's good. This is home for me for five years. It's a special place."
Villanova coach Jay Wright attended the Hawks shootaround, visiting former Wildcat Spellman, the 30th pick in June's NBA draft.
Being back in Philadelphia reminded Pierce of Wright and the Wildcats' winning two of the last three NCAA men's basketball national championships. He also was reminded of the Eagles winning last season's Super Bowl.
"So to come back here and go against Brett [Brown], to go against all of the guys, [it's] a lot of fun," Pierce said. "I think it's going to be a fun night.
"I expect a lot of trash talk from some players. I won't name any names, but Joel [Embiid] is probably going to talk all game."
In addition to Pierce and Spellman, this was a homecoming for former Sixer Justin Anderson and St. Joe's standout DeAndre' Bembry. The Sixers acquired Mike Muscala from the Hawks in the three-team trade that sent Anderson to Atlanta.
Two other Hawks have ties to the Sixers _ reserve center Dedmon and assistant coach Greg Foster.
Dedmon played 11 games for Philly back in the 2013-14 season. Meanwhile, Foster was the Sixers' big man coach that season.
But Monday's game is a business trip. The Hawks did what they've done the first five games _ play hard. Pierce demands that.
It's something the Sixers were recognized for during the lean years of the rebuilding process.
"Before you do anything, you got to be tough to the core of what you want to be. That's competition," Pierce said. "So playing hard, that's the recipe of competing. You can't just show up and compete because you are better than they are.
"Even if you have the best talent in the league, you got to compete. You got to bring the energy, the effort, the toughness. You have to take the personal pride and put it all on the court."
Part of Pierce's job involves helping the Hawks understand that playing hard is at the core of everything. He doesn't want Atlanta to be just the most talented team. The 42-year-old wants it to be the toughest and most competitive.
Pierce was on the Sixers' coaching staff from the fall of 2013 until May.
Under his guidance last season, the Sixers had one of the league's top defenses. They were tied for sixth with the Miami Heat in opponent field-goal percentage at 44.9 percent. The Sixers were 10th in the league in points allowed per game, averaging 106.
He also had a hand in developing Robert Covington into a first-team NBA All-Defensive selection.
"That's my guy," the Sixers small forward said. "He put in so much time into all of this, building both of our careers."
