76ers: How Did De'Anthony Melton Look In His Return vs. Hawks?

On Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers took on the Atlanta Hawks as they looked to snap their two-game losing streak.

They'd have to do so without Joel Embiid, who was listed as out due to swelling in his left ankle, the same ailment that kept him out against the Sixers' previous match against the Jazz.

While the reigning MVP remained on the bench, De'Anthony Melton made his return to the court, following a three-game stint on the sidelines.

The 25-year-old had been suffering from back soreness dating back to Philadelphia's first fixture of the new year against the Chicago Bulls.

Melton wouldn't have the smoothest return back against the Hawks, only managing to score ten points, five of which came in the first quarter alone.

Apart from his big first quarter, Melton had a quiet performance, draining another shot from beyond the arch, while managing to be a pester against the Hawks in the rebounding category, securing three boards down the stretch.

While these numbers may not seem all that impressive, they're close to what the former USC guard has been averaging all year.

One part of his stat line that was noticeably lower was his playing time, with Melton only managing to receive 21 minutes of game time, instead of his 29-minute average.

This was something that was done intentionally by Nick Nurse, as he wanted to see how the 25-year-old felt following Wednesday night's match.

"I don't know, I think that it will bump up a little bit next time, next game," said Nurse, "But we'll see how he comes out of it today, I think he feels okay."

Melton's next opportunity will come on Friday night as the Sixers welcome the Sacramento Kings into the Wells Fargo Center with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.