Regardless of the Sixers being out of playoff contention, this game had meaning for the Hawks. Entering their match-up with Philadelphia, they trailed the Chicago Bulls for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference by just a 1/2 game.

Apr 10, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith (5) is defended by Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young (21) during the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Smith stole the show from the very beginning. Whether or not he will be in Atlanta next season is irrelevant, the guy produces. Smith scored 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting and added 12 rebounds. The biggest criticism of his game has been his tendency to float to the perimeter rather than using his elite athleticism. Unfortunately for the Sixers, that wasn’t the case tonight. Smith attacked the teeth of the Sixers’ defense every chance he got.

Rookie John Jenkins added 21 points and 6 assists of his own for Atlanta. Jenkins did what he does best, he shot the ball, and he shot it well. He was 8-of-13 to be exact, and 3-4 from behind the arc.

Mike Scott showed everyone why Hawks’ Head Coach, Larry Drew, has so much faith in him. Scott scored 17 points and grabbed 8 boards in just 18 minutes of work.

Al Horford and Jeff Teague bounced back from their terrible performances in the team’s last meeting with the Sixers. Horford added 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Teague had 11 assists to go along with his 13 points.

Thaddeus Young was the lone bright spot in another horrible loss. Thad finished with 28 points and 8 rebounds. At halftime, Thad had 22 points on 11-of-15 points. The rest of the team combined for just 29 points on 8-of-34 shooting.

Jrue Holiday’s struggles continued. Luckily, he went 3-for-4 shooting the ball after starting 1-for-10. Jrue finished with just 12 points and 1 assist to go along with 5 turnovers and a technical foul.

Nick Young continued his success off the bench against the Hawks. However, once again, much of his playing time was in mop-up duty. Regardless, Young finished with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including three 3-pointers.

Last but not least, Kyle Korver extended his streak to 71 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer made with his only make midway through the fourth quarter.

Here are the player grades:

Evan Turner – 38 minutes, 9 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds : C-

Turner shot just 4-of-12 from the field, but stayed aggressive throughout. He took some of his usual contested 16-23 foot jumpers, but got some to fall. Best of all, Evan created for others and hit the boards on a night that his offense wasn’t there.

Thaddeus Young – 31 minutes, 28 points, 8 rebounds, 70% FG : A+

Thad was fantastic from the opening tip. After struggling the night before in Brooklyn, his energy level was through the roof. He never stopped moving, and the ball continued to find him. His shot was falling, but even when it wasn’t, he was hitting the offensive glass for his own second chance points.

Jrue Holiday – 27 minutes, 12 points, 1 assist, 5 turnovers : F

Jrue struggled from the very first minute, and started off 1-of-10 from the field. Holiday’s struggles continued all game long, and his play-making for others and defense both suffered. Jeff Teague had his way all night long. Jrue also had a stretch of three consecutive turnovers.

Nick Young – 26 minutes, 19 points, 67% FG, 60% 3PT : B+

After sitting seven straight, Nick Young has put together four consecutive solid performances. He scored 19 points tonight efficiently, and on a night that most Sixers looked uninterested, Young’s effort was there for all 26 of his minutes logged.

Dorell Wright – 26 minutes, 15 points, 2 steals, 40% 3PT : C

Dorell was one of the better Sixers tonight. He shot a solid 4-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-5 from deep. Defensively, Wright played the passing lanes well, coming up with two steals.

Spencer Hawes – 25 minutes, 5 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists : C-

Hawes struggled once again, going just 2-of-6 from the field for 5 points.

Damien Wilkins – 22 minutes, 6 points, 4 assists, 2 steals : F

Damien has played much better since entering the starting five, but not tonight. He went 0-for-7 from the field for his 6 points.

Arnett Moultrie – 22 minutes, 7 points, 7 rebounds, 60% FG : B

Arnett played just 4 minutes in the first half and failed to get anything going. In his 18 minutes of action in the second half, however, Moultrie was active all over the court. The highlight of the night for the Sixers was an alley-oop pass well above the rim from Evan Turner capped off with a one-handed throw down by Moultrie.

Lavoy Allen – 12 minutes, 3 rebounds, 1 assist : F

Lavoy went 0-for-3 in his 12 minutes of action. While 3 rebounds in that time is a good rate for anyone, he just seemed uninterested and spent most of his minutes going through the motions.

Justin Holiday & Royal Ivey – N/A

Justin Holiday and Royal Ivey played only 5 minutes and 3 minutes respectively. It would be unfair to give either guy a grade based on their limited action.

Kwame Brown – Did Not Play (Coach’s Decision)

Charles Jenkins – Did Not Play (Coach’s Decision)

Apr 5, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers small forward Evan Turner (12) works against Atlanta Hawks small forward DeShawn Stevenson (92) during the first half at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Sixers set the tone from the very beginning, scoring 40 points in the first quarter, and shooting 16-of-22 through the first twelve minutes. The win against the Hawks marks Philly’s fourth win in five games.

Here are the player grades:

Evan Turner – 38 minutes, 24 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, +15 – A

Turner shot 9-of-15 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc in route to a double-double performance. He led the team in scoring and made good decisions all-around. This was what we expected of Evan Turner when the Sixers took him with the second-overall pick in the draft.

Spencer Hawes – 38 minutes, 19 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists, +11 – B+

Spencer Hawes continued his recent stretch of great play. He added another double-double while being a play-maker and facilitator from the center position as well.

Thaddeus Young – 37 minutes, 14 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, +14 – B+

Thaddeus Young was all over the glass on both ends of the court, adding 5 offensive rebounds and 8 defensive. He was also super efficient offensively, going 6-of-9 from the floor.

Damien Wilkins – 33 minutes, 16 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, +11 – B

Wilkins was very impressive in the win over the Hawks. He contributed in just about every way possible; scoring, rebounding, play-making, defensively. Wilkins was very efficient, making 5-of-8 shots including making all four of his free throws and 2-of-3 from three-point land.

Jrue Holiday – 42 minutes, 9 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists, +5 – D

The Sixers’ lone All-Star struggled again after having his worst offensive performance of his career two nights ago. He shot a mere 3-of-14 from the field, and made just 3-of-6 free throw attempts. The Sixers were just plus-five with Jrue on the court, the lowest of any starter.

Justin Holiday – 7 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, +2 – C

While not overly impressive, Jrue’s older brother had an alright debut for the Sixers. He wasn’t incredibly efficient, just 2-of-6 from the field, but didn’t force any bad shots or make bad decisions. While his effort at the defensive end will serve him well for the remainder of the season under Doug Collins, it’s hard to tell exactly what he will bring to the table after just seven minutes.

Nick Young – 14 minutes, 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, -9 – C-

Nick Young shot just 2-of-7 in his fourteen minutes off the bench, but added 8 points.

Lavoy Allen – 13 minutes, 4 points, 1 assist, 1 block, +2 – D+

Lavoy played thirteen minutes off the bench and failed to add a single rebound. He did, however, add 4 points and a block while the team was plus-two with him on the court.

Royal Ivey – 13 minutes, 3 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, -4 – D

The Sixers’ back-up point guard woes are much noted, and last night showed why. Royal added just 3 points in 13 minutes, and shot two total shots, both three-pointers.

Arnett Moultrie – 6 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists – D

Arnett Moultrie played just six minutes, and failed to add a stat other than a personal foul. While it’s hard to give him knock him in a game where he played just six minutes, this is a game that Sixers’ fans would have liked to see him be aggressive to the point that Doug Collins wouldn’t want to take him off the court.

While the trip to Atlanta was a success, there are still many concerns for the Sixers. The bench added just 19 points on just 6-of-17 shooting combined. Jrue Holiday struggled again, but it was the play of the other four starters that carried the Sixers to a 101-90 win over the Hawks.