Another well-negotiated meeting for the Hawks at home against a Top 4 contender in the East. As against the Bucks earlier this week, Atlanta was able to make the difference after the break by placing two strokes of the accelerator which left Philly on the spot.
The Hawks took the game by the right end thanks to Trae Young, aggressive towards the circle and with the help of Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson on the transition game. Despite Joel Embiid waking up, at the conclusion of an alley-oop, Atlanta finished the first act 11-0 with Trae Young once again in charge, notably to find Clint Capela in the air and carry the mark. at 29-20 after 12 minutes.
The Melton-Milton-Maxey trio responded in stride (33-31), forcing Trae Young to give a boost, 3-point or to serve John Collins, Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter (46-40 ).
Philly held on until midway through the third quarter, with Tobias Harris, Tyrese Maxey and Georges Niang backing up Joel Embiid to level at 55-55. Something to sting the Hawks to the quick. The locals then responded with a 12-0 to end the period, the work of Clint Capela, Justin Holiday on 3-pointers and Trae Young twice (80-66).
Atlanta hit the nail on the head early in the fourth quarter by moving to +20 following another 12-0, scored this time by 3-pointers from AJ Griffin and Justin Holiday and concluded with a dunk from Onyeka Okongwu (94-74).
Even if Philly managed to put the pressure back on by returning to -6 two minutes from the end (100-94), Dejounte Murray and John Collins, on receiving an alley-oop served by Trae Young, were able to finish the job to allow the Hawks to garner their 8th success of the season (104-95).
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Philly in the hard to create. The absence of James Harden upsets the Philadelphia system which is struggling to find an alternative. An evil which materialized this night by 17 lost balls for only 15 assists. The Milton-Melton-Maxey trio must be much more present in this register to compensate. The result: too many one-on-one situations and not enough movement. Insufficient to hope to win in Atlanta.
– Weak time management. The balance of power in the NBA is also seen in the way two teams manage their weak times. Atlanta didn’t play the perfect game, and could have faltered when Philadelphia hung on and tied at 55-55. But the locals were able to limit the breakage. The Sixers for their part had great difficulty in stopping the bleeding that followed with two series of 12-0. Doc Rivers even took two timeouts at the start of the fourth quarter to try to revive his team, without success. Philly was going too far then.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Trae Young. The Hawks boss held his rank from start to finish. Aggressive at the start of the game, he also knew how to involve his teammates. It is also he who was at the origin of each good passage of his team. Even if there was waste (6 lost balls, 7/21 in shooting), he was a benchmark for his people throughout the match.
✅ Clint Capela. The pivot did the job tonight, taking care of the dirty work while having impact in attack. Served twice in the air by Trae Young, he was also present in the important moments of the meeting. Still as essential to the good performance of the Hawks.
⛔️ Joel Embiid’s Lieutenants. Where were they in this game? Between Tobias Harris’ 5/15 and Tyrese Maxey’s 5/17, we cannot say that the Cameroonian was well supported. Not much more to scratch on the side of PJ Tucker, out on injury (hip), Montrezl Harrell (three minutes of play) or Matisse Thybulle (8).
THE FOLLOWING
The two teams meet this Saturday, in Philadelphia this time (01:30).
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