NBA: Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers played last night and have little time to rest. The Hawks were at home, hosting the Miami Heat, while the 76ers traveled to Orlando to face the Magic. They now have to endure another flight, and have no rest before taking one another, but hey, that is the NBA, and that’s why the best of the best play here. There are a lot of problems with injuries on both ends, yet that won’t affect the intensity of the game and the will to win.  

Preview

Atlanta Hawks (11-9, +100) suffered an unpleasant defeat at home to the shorthanded Miami Heat, 106-98. This was the second consecutive failure for the Hawks, who kinda spoiled a good run and an excellent record.

The fact that Clint Capela didn’t play was the main reason for the loss to the Heat. Miami scored 58 points from the paint, while Atlanta had only 34. Capela’s rim protection was missed dearly, so it is no wonder why Bam Adebayo dropped 32 points. Also, the Heat had 46 boards, while the Hawks added 98.

Trae scored 22 with 14 assists, but his shooting percentages were bad, 4-for-16 and 1-for-8 for three. Dejuonte Murray had only 13 buckets, 5-for-16, while John Collins had a good performance with 23 points and 14 boards, hitting 11 of his 17 shots. De’Andre Hunter was good as well, with 18 points. The bench added only 16 points, which was also an issue. 

Philadelphia 76ers (10-11, -110) missed Embiid, Harden and Maxey, yet they still trashed the Magic in Florida, rolling over the hosts 133-103. It was a display of power coming from the Sixers’ role players, with Shake Milton leading the way being a starter, 10-for-13 from the field, for 29 points, seven assists and five boards. 

Tobias Harris had 25 points, 10-for-14, in 30 minutes on the floor. The bench was in the mood for pumping stats, with three players having 10 or more buckets, Danuel House Jr. 19, Korkmaz 17, and Patrick Reed had 12 with 13 points, not missing a single shot from the field. 

Philly had 64.9% of shooting from the field, and they limited the Magic to only 26 boards while having 43. This was partial because of a very high shooting percentage. By the way, this was their second triumph in a row, both over the Magic in Orlando, with the first ending 107-99. 

Head to Head 

Two years ago, these units had a fierce battle in the playoffs, and a new rivalry was born, with the Hawks eliminating the Sixers and John Collins creating a beef with Embiid. 

They already have two games played this year, and each team posted a victory. The first was in Atlanta, and the Hawks won 104-95. Two days later, we saw these two crews clashing in Philly, where the Sixers won 121-109. 

Prediction

The line for the totals is at 219 points, which is over for us. We understand that the 76ers lack their best players (though there are some suggestions that Maxey might come back), but this is way too low. The backcourts should lead the way on both ends, speeding up the game and bringing points.

Pick: Over 219 points -110