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Hawks host Philadelphia with series tied 1-1



The Atlanta Hawks host the Philadelphia 76ers in game three of the Eastern Conference second round with the series tied 1-1. The 76ers won the previous matchup 118-102. Joel Embiid scored 40 points to help lead Philadelphia to the win and Trae Young recorded 21 points in the loss for Atlanta.

The Hawks are 24-18 in conference matchups. Atlanta has a 27-11 record against teams under .500.

The 76ers are 31-11 against conference opponents. Philadelphia is sixth in the Eastern Conference scoring 113.6 points per game and is shooting 47.6%.

TOP PERFORMERS:
Young is scoring 25.3 points per game and averaging 3.9 rebounds for the Hawks. Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 15.4 points and 3.4 assists over the last 10 games for Atlanta.

Embiid has shot 51.3% and is averaging 28.5 points for the 76ers. Tobias Harris is averaging 19.7 points and 7.7 rebounds while shooting 46.1% over the last 10 games for Philadelphia.

DURING THE PLAYOFFS:
Hawks: Averaging 107.1 points, 43.0 rebounds, 20.9 assists, 5.1 steals and 6.0 blocks per game while shooting 45.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 103.9 points on 43.8% shooting.

76ers: Averaging 123.1 points, 43.1 rebounds, 26.7 assists, 9.3 steals and 7.0 blocks per game while shooting 51.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.4 points on 46.6% shooting.

Sixers will continue to throw different coverages at Hawks star Trae Young



The Sixers did a much better job on Young in Game 2 compared to Game 1 as they forced him to shoot 1-for-7 from deep and he had four turnovers which the Sixers were able to convert into points. The adjustment of having Simmons defend him from the jump while also switching Tobias Harris onto him in the pick-and-roll helped in that regard.

“We got to give this kid a lot of looks, man, he is so clever,” said coach Doc Rivers. “We switched some, we which showed some, we even trapped a couple which we’re trying to avoid, to be honest, because he passes so well out of the traps and they have so much shooting. We just feel strongly you can’t give them one look and we’re just gonna try to keep mixing it up.”

Philadelphia has done a good job of using their length and really being able to funnel him towards other defenders. At 6-foot-10, Simmons can do so many different things to really bother Young and combine his size and skill with the different coverages Rivers promises to throw at him, the Sixers should be able to find success against him or at the very least, make it tough for him to score.

The biggest thing Philadelphia has on their side is Simmons who after losing out on Defensive Player of the Year, will probably want to make a statement in Game 3 on Friday.

DirtybirdGA wrote:This certainly puts a damper on the weekend .