Hawks fall 98-96 to 76ers as offense disappears down the stretch

The Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers played on Friday, with the Hawks looking to stay hot on their home floor. Atlanta was unable to pick up the win here, falling to the 76ers by a score of 98-96.

Philadelphia used a 15-1 run to take control of the first quarter, and led 31-22 heading to the second. Seth Curry had 11 points in the opening quarter for the Sixers. The Hawks had a sequence where they turned the ball over on five straight possessions at one point in the first, leading to ten unanswered points from the 76ers.

The Hawks would storm back in the second however, using a 24-6 run to take control of the game before the half. Trae Young had 14 points and five assists in the first half, with Danilo Gallinari adding 13 points and three rebounds. Atlanta led 52-44 at the half after outscoring the Sixers 30-13 in the second quarter.

The third quarter was the first competitive one of the evening, with the Hawks outscoring the 76ers 35-34 in the period. Atlanta took an 87-78 lead to the fourth, and it was a strong quarter for John Collins.

In addition to this poster, Collins had 12 points in the third and helped the Hawks maintain their lead headed to the final frame. Young had seven points and five assists in the third. Joel Embiid had ten points in the third for Philadelphia.

The Hawks struggled to generate offense with the second unit to start the fourth quarter. Atlanta scored just five points in the fourth over six minutes into the period. The Sixers outscored the Hawks 18-9 over a 9:30 span to start the quarter to tie the game at 96 with 2:30 to go.

The score remained tied at 96 with under a minute to go, as Embiid scored to give the 76ers their first lead of the second half with under 43 seconds remaining. Atlanta called timeout with 42.2 to go and the ball, down 98-96.

The Hawks had the ball side out of bounds with 2.4 second left down by the same score. Gallinari just missed a three-pointer that would have won the game as time expired. The Hawks scored just nine points in the fourth quarter and four in the final 7:50. Philadelphia outscored Atlanta 20-9 in the final period on the way to the win.

Embiid finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds in the win, while Curry added 18 points and five assists. Young had 25 points and 10 assists in the loss for the Hawks, while Collins had 18 points and eight rebounds. Gallinari had 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists off the bench.

The Hawks (12-11) will be back in action Sunday evening at home vs. the Charlotte Hornets.