In their second meeting of the season, the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks faced off in what resulted in another lopsided win for Atlanta, 117-96.
The Philadelphia 76ers (1-8) dropped another road game, this time in the form of their second loss to the Atlanta Hawks (7-2) on the season. In a game that was highlighted by a lack of offensive consistency from Philadelphia and some major defensive lapses, the well-rounded Hawks were able to pull away in a second half dominated by the likes of Dwight Howard, Kent Bazemore, and Tim Hardaway Jr.
This wasn’t the showing that Sixers fans were hoping for in lieu of their first win of the season against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, but with the absence of Joel Embiid in the post and some struggles throughout the rotation, the end result wasn’t all that surprising.
Atlanta was able to exploit the Sixers’ weak interior defense, and the lack of consistent shooting from the perimeter allowed the Hawks to retain their lead throughout the second half, despite a handful of surges from Philadelphia.
The following are a few grades for some of tonight’s most notable players.
The Sixers were outclassed for most of the night by a Hawks team that, quite frankly, is on a different level at this point in their development. A strong first quarter showing was followed by three quarters of Hawks-dominated basketball, with a few strong bursts from Philadelphia being negated by hot shooting from the likes of Kyle Korver, Bazemore, and Hardaway throughout the second half.
Next: Game Recap: 76ers 96, Hawks 117
Dwight Howard also made easy work out of the Sixers’ weak interior defense with Embiid on the sidelines, something Brett Brown and company will have to address. This wasn’t the most visually appealing performance the Sixers will give and there wasn’t a ton to be excited about, but the defensive energy out of their backcourt and a handful of promising flashes from the likes of Dario Saric and Jahlil Okafor are enough to work with moving forward.