Following a comeback win against the Utah Jazz Sunday night, the Philadelphia 76ers travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks on the second night of a back-to-back. The Sixers came into the game just 3.5 games back from the Chicago Bulls for the tenth seed in the Eastern Conference and a half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets for the sixth pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
With an opportunity to improve their standing in one way or another, the Sixers ultimately fell to the Hawks, 123-132, in a night that was quite positive when evaluating Quentin Grimes and for those invested in the team tanking this season, purposely or otherwise.
What went right
There was very little that went right for much of this game. The Sixers’ offense was able to keep pace for all of the first quarter but quickly fell behind a Hawks squad that had their way inside, out, and at the line. It was just a complete effort by a Hawks team that was nearly as depleted as the Sixers.
As the game progressed, the Sixers flipped a switch in the fourth quarter, led by the efforts of Quentin Grimes. The Sixers’ trade deadline acquisition popped off for 17 of his 35 points on the night. With this performance, Grimes has scored 30-plus points in four games of his 13 as a Sixer, notably one more than Paul George in 41 games played.
Is Quentin Grimes too good for a tanking team to play? Probably, but with Grimes set to hit restricted free agency, there’s no alternative at the moment. Still, it’s not all bad to see a player the Sixers acquired thriving after coming to Philadelphia, especially as it’s such a rarity.
What went wrong
Atlanta’s size, rebounding, and physicality were just too much for Philly all through the night. The Hawks finished with 76 points in the paint and out-rebounded the Sixers 47-31.
With Embiid and Drummond, the Sixers are naturally small. Adem Bona‘s listed height of 6’10” is extremely generous, as anyone who’s stood next to him knows. While his wingspan and athleticism make up tremendously for his lack of size, they do not erase it, and they cannot make up for the even greater difference between Guerschon Yabusele and others against the Hawks.
All season long, the Sixers have been unable to defend the paint. It was particularly bad in this game, but again, that is not to be laid at just Bona’s feet. As bad as the Sixers’ rim protection has been this season, their perimeter defense has been even worse. There’s a direct correlation between the faulty perimeter defense and their struggles defending the paint.
By design, players in Nick Nurse’s defense are active and mobile, offering help and diving into passing lanes looking to create turnovers. That works when you’re coaching Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry in their primes. When you’re down to Lonnie Walker and Jared Butler, no offense to them, but it does not have the same effect.
Philadelphia has constantly been bitten by defenders over-rotating and a lack of communication due to both players’ unfamiliarity with the scheme and their teammates. It’s not that Nurse’s defensive scheme doesn’t work; the league has seen it work; it’s that it doesn’t work with a C-team that has been cobbled together within the past month.
There’s little Nurse and the Sixers can do to address the problem this season, but in the coming offseason, if Philadelphia is able to capture their white whale, that is, maintain a healthy roster, then perhaps we could see it succeed. For now, it contributes to the team’s tanking effort; take that for a pro or con, as you will.
Sixers standings update
It was a great night for the tank. The Sixers lost, the Raptors won, the Nets won, and the Bulls won. Considering the teams who played, this was the best-case scenario for those cheering on the tank.
The Raptors overcame the Wizards, something they couldn’t do on Saturday. A down-to-the-wire game for Brooklyn ended in victory despite Cam Johnson’s best efforts to tank the game away by missing both free throws in the final seconds. And the Bulls beat the Haliburton-less Pacers by 18 points as they continue to build more and more confidence heading toward the NBA play-in tournament.
The Sixers are still in seventh place in the pre-lottery draft, as the Nets have the tanking advantage due to tie-breakers. However, the Sixers are tied with Brooklyn in terms of record and are just half a game behind the Raptors in fifth spot.
As for how all of this affects the Sixers, if they remain in the seventh spot, they will have a 31.9% chance of retaining their pick. If they move up to sixth, they will have a 45.8% chance of retaining their pick, and if they move up to fifth, that likelihood grows all the way to a 64.0% chance of retaining their pick.
I know you have to squint a little, but I feel like this team can still retain their draft pick.
Up next for the Sixers
The Sixers will head north of the border on Wednesday, where they will face the Toronto Raptors, one of their biggest rivals in the league at the moment. Not because both teams are a part of the Atlantic division but because they’re in fierce tanking competition with one another.
The Raptors are 5-5 in their last 10 games. As unimpressive as that may be, it is leagues ahead of where the Sixers currently sit at 2-8 in that time. The Raptors have also won four of their last five, and this is before the debut of trade deadline acquisition Brandon Ingram, which is projected to happen between now and the end of the season. The Raptors will likely win quite a few more games than the Sixers in this final stretch, but in these direct matchups, the Sixers cannot miss the opportunity to gain ground in the reverse standings.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. You can catch the game on NBC Sports Philadelphia or listen live as always at 97.5 FM, the Fanatic.
For the latest breaking news on your Philadelphia 76ers and other Philly sports, follow Zach Ciavolella on X — @CiavoNBA and Bluesky — @ciavo.bsky.social
