Short-Handed Hawks Fight Hard on the Road but Lose 125-114 to the 76ers

Atlanta is now 9-12 heading into Monday's matchup with Denver

Earlier today, Hawks star point guard Trae Young was ruled out with an illness and it seemed like an uphill battle for the Hawks to even compete in this game. They had lost two straight and four of the last five and had to go on the road to play one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers. 

That was not what unfolded though. This team played with a ton of heart and fought every second of the way in Philly. 

To no surprise, Bogdan Bogdanovic got the start in place of Young. When Young missed an earlier game in the year vs Detroit, that was the case. Bogdanovic started alongside Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter, Saddiq Bey, and Clint Capela. 

The 76ers started Tyrese Maxey, De'Anthony Melton, Tobias Harris, Nic Batum, and Joel Embiid. 

The first half was a tale of two quarters. 

The first quarter was all about Embiid and Philadelphia. The reigning MVP scored 17 in the first quarter and the 76ers could not miss from three-point range. That has been the formula for the 76ers this season and all that was missing was Maxey making some shots. Philadelphia led 35-23 after the first and Atlanta was shooting just 33.3% from the field and 14.3% from three. Philadelphia shot 50% from three and 46.2% from the field. 

I was interested to see how the rotation would play out in this game and I was surprised at what head coach Quin Snyder went with. Onyeka Okonwu, Wesley Matthews, and Garrison Matthews all got minutes, but so did Trent Forrest and Patty Mills. This was the first time that Mills got real minutes in a competitive game. 

De'Andre Hunter guarding Tobias Harris / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

The second quarter was a completely different story and both Mills and Forrest had a fair amount to do with that. They both brought great energy and hit some shots. 

Atlanta not only won the second quarter, but they won it emphatically. Bogdanovic had 13 points in the quarter and finished with 17 points and five rebounds in the first half. The Hawks finished the half shooting 45.5% from the field and 36.4% from three. It was a night and day difference compared to the first quarter. 

After scoring 17 in the opening quarter, Embiid was shut out in the 2nd. The 76ers shot 45.8% from the field and 42.9% from three in the first half. Maxey would have 11 points and five assists in the first half. 

Atlanta won the 2nd quarter 45-27 and had a six-point lead (68-62). 

Bogdan Bogdanovic vs the 76ers / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Could the Hawks hold on and pull the upset though?

The two teams were going back and forth and Atlanta's lead was cut to one with 8:53 to go in the third and Snyder wanted a timeout. 

Just a few minutes later, Maxey hit a three to retake the lead 85-83 with under five to go in the quarter and then the 76ers hit another shot to make it 87-83. It seemed like they had all of the momentum, but five straight points from De'Andre Hunter got the lead back for the Hawks 88-87. 

At the end of the 3rd, the 76ers led 93-92 and Atlanta had a shot to pull the upset. 

After a back-and-forth first six minutes, the Hawks trailed by three when Bogdanovic was fouled on a three-point shot and he had a chance to tie it. He did that and after a missed shot from the Sixers, Bey hit a tough shot under the basket and was fouled. The Hawks led by three. 

After taking a foul, Embiid came up hobbling, but he stayed in the game, but he had a noticeable limp. 

Dejounte Murray vs the 76ers / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Leading 109-107, Atlanta got the ball on a fast break attempt and Murray found Bey for an open three-point attempt, but it was missed. Murray almost had a fantastic putback, but Embiid grabbed the rebound, got fouled, and went to the line for a pair of free throws to tie it. He nailed them both and then a bad pass from Bogdanovic gave up points to the Sixers and they took a 111-109 lead. 

After a Hunter miss on the other end, Embiid nailed a jumper to go up 113-109 with 2:16 left and the Hawks were starting to run out of time. 

Needing a basket on the other end, Capela went to an open Bey in the corner and he missed and Embiid grabbed the rebound. Capela was called for his fifth foul on the other end and Embiid went to the line to shoot a pair and he nailed them. It was 115-109. 

Another Hawks miss led to a three by Maxey and that was it. Philly led 118-109 and the great effort the Hawks put into the night was going to come up short. The final four minutes on offense were brutal for Atlanta and that sealed the deal in Philadelphia. 

With the loss, Atlanta is now 9-12 this season and has lost three in a row, and five of their last six games. They had opportunities to pull a big upset tonight but came up short without Young and Jalen Johnson. 

For the game, Atlanta shot 39.4% from the floor and 33.3% from three. Bogdanovic and Murray both had 20 points, while Hunter had 24. All-Starters scored over 15 points and played heavy minutes. 

Philadelphia shot 48.3% from the floor and 36.7% from three in the game. Embiid scored 38 points and grabbed 14 boards, while Maxey scored 30 points and had seven assists. 

The Hawks are back at home on Monday against the defending champion Denver Nuggets and MVP front-runner Nikola Jokic. Tip-off is set for 7:30 at State Farm Arena. 

Hawks and State Farm Arena's Latest Partnership? None Other Than Charles Barkley's Redmont Vodka

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