Philadelphia 76ers Draw Atlanta Hawks in Round 2 of NBA Playoffs

After taking the Washington Wizards out in Game 5 on Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers will face the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the NBA Playoffs.

Heading into their Game 4 matchup against the Washington Wizards on Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers were a game away from sweeping the series. After losing Joel Embiid 11 minutes into the game, the Sixers came up short in the fourth quarter.

Dropping Game 4 to Washington, the Sixers returned home to the Wells Fargo Center on Wednesday for Game 5 up 3-1. Desperate for another win, the Wizards gave a solid effort in the first quarter as they led the Sixers throughout the first 12 minutes.

But for the next three quarters, the Joel Embiid-less Sixers found a way to click. While Seth Curry and Tobias Harris combined for 58 points on Wednesday, the Sixers had a fantastic all-around effort from the team, which helped contribute to a victory.

When the game wrapped up officially, the Sixers acquired a 129-112 win over the Wizards, ending the series with a 4-1 record. Now, the 76ers punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs for the third time in four years.

Meanwhile, a couple of hours away from Philly, the Atlanta Hawks and the New York Knicks wrapped up their series as well. After splitting the first two games last week, the Hawks fired off two straight wins to acquire a 3-1 lead over the Knicks.

Facing elimination on Wednesday night, the Knicks hosted the Hawks at Madison Square Garden for Game 5. With hopes of staying alive for another game, the Knicks ran out of juice. Led by Trae Young and his game-high 36 points, the Hawks managed to smash the Knicks 103-89 once more, knocking them out of the playoffs.

For the next couple of days, the Sixers and the Hawks will return to the drawing board to prepare for the next stage of the postseason. Then on Sunday, they'll meet in Philadelphia for Game 1 of the second round.