Hawks hold off 76ers with strong second half, 104-95

The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday evening as they completed the second-half of a back-to-back. After a sluggish first half, the Hawks throttled the Sixers in the second half to the tune of a 104-95 victory.

The first half was a big ugly on each side, as the teams combined for just 88 points in the opening half, with Atlanta carrying a 46-42 lead into the half. Young was hot for the Hawks after a tough game Wednesday, as he had 18 points and four assists in the half. Joel Embiid had 17 of the 76ers’ 42 first-half points.

After scoring just four points in the first four minutes of the second half, the Hawks finished the third quarter on a 12-0 run to carry an 80-66 lead into the final period. The 76ers continued to struggle on offense into the fourth, with Atlanta getting the lead up to 20 midway through the quarter.

The 76ers cut the Hawks’ lead down to just six inside the final two minutes with an big run after falling down 20, but Atlanta would stop the bleeding and hold on to the win from there. Young led the way for the Hawks with 26 points and seven assists, while Embiid paced the 76ers with 26 of his own to go along with 13 rebounds.

Clint Capela was massive for the Hawks with 18 points and 20 rebounds opposite Embiid, with Dejounte Murray provided another solid all-around game despite having just 10 points. Murray added eight assists and two steals along with some huge defensive plays.

The Hawks will be back in action vs. the 76ers on Saturday as the teams will travel north to Philadelphia for that matchup.

Stay tuned.