Young Aids The Hawks’ Second-half Surge As They Defeat The 76ers 104-95

Thursday night, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 104-95 thanks to 26 points from Trae Young and 18 points and 20 rebounds from Clint Capela.

After missing three games due to the flu, Joel Embiid led Philadelphia with 26 points and 13 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double.

Atlanta’s 12-0 run to end the third quarter included two goals from Young and Capela each. Before going into the fourth quarter with an 80-66 lead, the Hawks were only ahead by two points.

Atlanta led 89-74 after the first-year player A.J. Griffin’s 3-pointer early in the fourth.

With 8:59 remaining, Philadelphia’s coach Doc Rivers called a timeout and then halted the game once more shortly after. With fewer than five minutes left, Rivers pulled his starters because he couldn’t find a way to counteract the Hawks’ momentum.

With about two minutes left, the 76ers’ backups, led by Montrezl Harrell, cut Atlanta’s lead to seven points. Nate McMillan, the coach of the Hawks, had to bring back all five starters for the final minute.

Both teams had their starting lineups on the floor but were unable to complete the comeback.

Dejounte Murray’s steal led to a jam by Onyeka Okongwu, increasing Atlanta’s margin to 20 points at 94-74.

Up until the late third quarter, only Young and Embiid stood out from the general scoring slump, making all 10 of their free throw attempts.

Each team struggled with poor shooting, especially from a distance, as the Hawks led 46-42 at the break. The Hawks made just one of their first half’s 11 3-point attempts, going 6 of 26 overall. The 76ers made 2 out of 14 3-point attempts in the first half and 6 out of 30 overall.

For Embiid, the 76ers had trouble finding scoring support. Of Philadelphia’s 20 points in the opening period, the center scored 11 of them. Only Harris and P.J. Tucker scored for the 76ers in that frame.

Before his layup tied the game at 55 midway through the third, Georges Niang, who had a season-high 21 points in Monday’s 100-88 victory over Phoenix, was scoreless.

With his three-point play in response, John Collins gave the Hawks a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

TIP-INS

76ers: Tucker started the game but finished with just three points in 24 minutes after being listed as questionable due to a left hip contusion. … Tyrese Maxey finished with 15 points and 5 aces. Tobias Harris scored 12 points.

Hawks: F Jalen Johnson received treatment after the game on Wednesday night for tightness in his right hamstring. In just six minutes, he scored two points despite being listed as questionable. … Rebounds by Capela reached a season high. … Having 14 points, De’Andre Hunter. Okongwu finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

UP NEXT

On Saturday evening in Philadelphia, the teams will play once more. Rivers said he liked playing the same team in back-to-back games “as far as the competitive part of it.” He claimed he didn’t understand why travel between the games needed to be included.

Source:

https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/young-helps-hawks-pull-away-in-2nd-half-beat-76ers-10495