The 76ers played an emotional game as they took down the once immortal Golden State Warriors. After honoring the late Kobe Bryant, the Philadelphia controlled the Warriors in a 115-104 rout on Tuesday night. Philly (31-17) looks to continue their winning streak and stretch it to three straight as they travel to Atlanta (12-36) on Thursday night.
Coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. on NBCSports Philadelphia. Radio coverage will be on 97.5 The Fanatic.
Despite Richardson being sidelined and Horford carrying a questionable tag, Philadelphia is still 7.5 point favorites with an over/under set at 228.
Know Your Enemy: Atlanta Hawks
Thursday night’s match up will serve as game two of a four game season series between the 76ers and Hawks. Back on October 28th, the 76ers won 105-103. Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 36 points, and Young led Atlanta with 25 points.
Trae Young leads the way for the Hawks’ offense. Young has averaged 29.2 points and 4.6 rebounds for the Hawks. Teammate John Collins is shooting 58.5 percent and averaging 20.5 points over the last 10 games for Atlanta as well.
The Hawks have struggled this season, but have not played too bad in their last 10 games. In their last 10, they are 4-6, averaging 113 points, 45.2 rebounds, 23.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.5 points on 48.1 percent shooting.
On the season, Atlanta is 12-36, with a 7-16 home record. They actually average 0.3 points more per game (108.8) than the Sixers, but allow almost 13 more points per game (118.1).
Quick Injury Report:
Atlanta: Bruno Fernando: day to day (calf), Chandler Parsons: out (concussion/whiplash), Alex Len: day to day (hip), DeAndre’ Bembry: day to day (hand), Jabari Parker: out (shoulder)
76ers: Josh Richardson: out (hamstring)
Key to the Game:
Contain Trae Young
The Hawks have one legitimate threat, and his name is Trae Young. He sits third in the league with 29.2 points per night, and second with 9.0 assists. Young also averages almost five turnovers per game, so Ben Simmons should easily control Young.
After Trae, John Collins averages a little under 20 points himself. The Sixers, expecting to have Thybulle starting in place of Josh Richardson, should thrive defensively with the Hawks’ lack of offensive depth.
Prediction
No matter how bad the Sixers may struggle on the road, this game should be smooth sailing for Philadelphia. As long as they do not get burnt by Trae Young and let him score 50, they should be on cruise control for the majority of the game.
Philly wins their 7th of their last 10, and dominate the Hawks 121-106.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
