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Hawks Might Bend but not Break for the 76ers

Philadelphia Plays Host to Atlanta in Wednesday NBA Tilt

Philly will be playing host to the Hawks Wednesday in an exciting matchup. Still vying for the top record in the East, the 76ers are trying to keep pace with the Nets.

Atlanta, meanwhile, has continued to show just how dangerous they can be, even with several key guys out of the lineup. At full strength, they could field a legitimate 12-man rotation, and nobody around the league would bat an eye.

Guard Bogdan Bogdanovic of the Atlanta Hawks dribbles near guard Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Zarrilli/Getty Images/AFP

The 76ers have been a bit up and down of late, with Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris shuffling in and out of the lineup. But, now at full strength, they’re hoping to come out smelling like a rose after this ballgame. They took down the Thunder pretty handily, 121-90, when they last took the court. In doing so, they proved that they could run the score up on teams that just can’t go blow for blow with them.

The Hawks lost 100-86 to the Pistons, but they can have an excuse. They had beaten the Bucks the prior evening, despite being without Trae Young and Tony Snell, among the regulars (Cam Reddish, Kris Dunn, and De’Andre Hunter) as well. They have continued to amaze and boast nine players (minimum 14 games played), averaging in double-digits. That does not include Snell or Solomon Hill, who do so much more besides scoring. They’re going to be a hard out in the playoffs.

The home 76ers are pretty heavy 8½-point favorites. Betting lines for the over/under are set at 214 points.

Atlanta Hoping for Road Success

The year has been a weird one for the Hawks. They opened up 14-20 and opted to fire Lloyd Pierce. The man that filled his shoes is Nate McMillan, who was hired as an assistant in the offseason after being fired by the Pacers. The team is currently 20-8 under his watch since that decision was made. Whatever it is that he has done differently, it’s been perfect.

With injuries, keep John Collins, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, Trae Young, Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Danilo Gallinari out of the lineup for long stretches, everybody has stepped up. Kevin Huerter has looked great. Bogdan has been a star for the past six weeks. And Gallinari has had some major moments. The acquisition of Lou Will also helps bolster an already stout second unit.

With Kris Dunn finally making his debut, the team now adds an All-NBA caliber defender to their lineup at seemingly the perfect time. It’s hard to say what the team’s final playoff rotation will look like, but boy, will it be hard to slow them down.

They’re coming to Philly looking to make some noise with another upset.

Philly Looks to Take Care of Business

You can say what you will about his MVP candidacy, but it’s clear that Joel Embiid is a dominant big man. That has been the case for years now, but during the 20-21 campaign, his game has further evolved, as his numbers have been up across the board. He’s scoring at will against anybody that dares to check him while guiding the team to more win than he ever had before.

But once more, he has dealt with injuries. The players around him have been able to step up as needed. Seth Curry and Danny Green have both turned in timely performances whenever it has been needed from them. George Hill is starting to slowly find his footing, while Matisse Thybulle continues to terrorize other guards with his defensive ability.

There are still some flaws here, but if they can score a home win against Atlanta, it would be great for their morale.

Hawks Cover as Underdogs

When it comes to online NBA betting, shy away from Philly here. The game will be too close to give them an eight-point cushion.

Parlay: Atlanta Hawks +8 and Over 214 at +260

 

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