Philadelphia 76ers Hope for Momentum Boost vs Hawks

The Philadelphia 76ers look to keep momentum going against the Atlanta Hawks.

Jan 7, 2016 – Atlanta Hawks (21-15) @ Philadelphia 76ers (4-33), 07:00pm, Wells Fargo Center

The Philadelphia 76ers continue their homestand tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, who are coming into the game losers of 3 of their past 4 games. Both of these teams are looking for a launching pad to get themselves out of their respective slumps, with the Hawks fighting for playoff positioning and the Sixers fighting for respectability.

Philly’s last game was a huge win against the Minnesota Timberwolves, where the team played a complete game from top-to-bottom. Ish Smith led the way with his smart play and ability to close out the game, something the Sixers had been lacking for some time now.

More from The Sixer Sense

At the end of the game, the Wolves could not keep up with the Sixers’ energy and hustle, with many of their points coming from defensive stops leading to fast break opportunities. This is a game the Sixers can use to remind themselves on how they play when they are all on the same page.

The best part about Monday’s win was that Jahlil Okafor did not have a large impact, meaning that if he can get within the flow of the offense the Sixers will be even better. The flip side to this view is that the Sixers are better because Jahlil wasn’t effective. That is an interesting thing to note, though it is too early to gauge the team’s outlook after that one game.

Ideally, the best scenario for the season is to get Jah and Nerlens Noel in-sync when they are on the court together, giving the team a matchup nightmare on both the offensive and defensive ends. Although the early results don’t look too promising, giving more time to these two youngsters will only help the Sixers evaluate their talent so they know how to move going forward.

Now lets all repeat together, Sixer fans: Wins don’t matter this year, we must evaluate our talent. The same thing will happen next year when Joel Embiid and Dario Saric will be available to play. How does each of these pieces fit in the overall puzzle? The only way to find out is to play them.

What To Watch For

While there is a disparity on talent between the players, both coaches belong to the coaching tree of Gregg Popovich, widely accepted as the greatest active coach in the league. The way both teams are constructed, each coach gives what the team needs at their current state.

Mike Budenholzer of the Hawks has shown great tactics with his team, inputting a system (similar to the Spurs) which emphasizes ball movement and snap decision-making. Last year the Hawks played the best ball in franchise history, winning 60 games (the cutoff for teams considered to be elite) and getting all the way to the Conference Finals. He gave Kyle Korver (former Sixer!) more responsibility which forced teams to adjust to his off-ball cutting, opening up the floor for his teammates. He has shown great acuity in getting the most out of his teams.

Coach Brett Brown gives the Sixers a different approach: Due to their age and inexperience, Brown smothers the team with positivity and work ethic. He gives the team an example from the top on how to be a proper professional and how to perform on, and off, the court. By all accounts everyone in the organization loves Coach Brown, and Coach Popovich has even sung his praises several times when facing Philly.

One thing he has not been able to show that much has been his tactics. He is usually very smart at getting the ball to Jahlil after timeouts in deep post position, but his half-court offense has often been disjointed and lacking ball movement. Now with a legitimate point guard on the roster he has the ability to jump-start the offense into something he truly wants, and this game can be the first of many to showcase this.

Final Take

The Atlanta Hawks are a very good team with underrated stars Al Horford and Paul Millsap and Nerlens and Jah will have a lot of trouble handling both of those players. Korver can also give teams fits with his sharpshooting or, at the very least, make teams play him hard every play, even on off nights. Kent Bazemore is also having a great year, filling in where DeMarre Carroll left off last year.

Prediction – The Sixers have a huge test in front of them, which they will come short on. The talent disparity between the teams is too big to ignore, though the Sixers are sure to come into this game swinging. The game will be tight until the end, where the Hawks will make one or two plays to clinch the game for them.

Where To Catch The Game

Watch it! – CSNPhilly is broadcasting the game
Hear it! – 97.5 has the game on the radio
Stream it! – NBA League Pass is available for anyone out of market