By Josh Liddick, Sports Talk Philly Staff
Well, it's clear that the Philadelphia 76ers winning games is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and that the Sixers are currently the winningest Philadelphia sports team in 2017 so far.
The Sixers next test on their incredible winning push is the Atlanta Hawks on the road on Saturday night. The Hawks are coming into Saturday night's game with a 25-18 record and are trying to continue their dominance of the Sixers at home. A win tonight for the Hawks would be their seventh-straight home win vs. the Sixers.
It will be no easy task, obviously, given the Sixers have won eight of their last ten games and are looking to inch closer to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference, now only 4.5 games behind.
Last Meeting:
The Sixers and Hawks have already crossed paths twice this season with Atlanta coming on top in both contests. The last time out, the Sixers traveled to Atlanta and lost the game, 117-96. The Sixers came into the game with a struggling 1-8 record, and Joel Embiid did not play due to rest. Jahlil Okafor led the Sixers in scoring with 18 points, Sergio Rodriguez had 13 points, Dario Saric had 12, and Robert Covington had 11 points. Nik Stauskas helped the team from the bench with his 12 points on the night.
Atlanta had help from Kent Bazemore, who had 17 points, five boards, three steals, and two blocks. Dwight Howard continued to impress with 10 points and 11 rebounds, and Tim Hardaway Jr. played well off the bench, leading the Hawks in scoring with 20 points.
Atlanta dominated in all aspects of the game from start to finish, as they walked away with the victory against a struggling Sixers team.
No Jo-Jo, no problem?:
Joel Embiid will not be playing for the Sixers on Saturday night due to his restriction of playing in back-to-back games. However, tonight will be the night to see Jahlil Okafor back in the lineup for Philadelphia.
The last time Okafor played an entire game was against the Wizards on January 14, and he scored 26 points with nine rebounds in a losing effort. It's obvious that the Sixers lack charisma when Embiid isn't out on the court, but Okafor can contribute a lot offensively no matter. Recently, the Sixers have enjoyed the emergence of Dario Saric, Ersan Ilyasova, and Robert Covington. It will be interesting to see if the Sixers can utilize the same firepower they untap with Embiid on the court, without him there. Embiid's absence will be felt defensively for sure, but their ability to play defense late in games has been evident as of late, even when Embiid isn't on the court.
Playoffs?:
This may sound like an extreme stretch, especially with the Sixers in a position where they currently sit in the standings at a 15-26 record, however they have a legitimate chance to take a gander at a possible eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They're the hottest team in the NBA currently, and they have done just enough to be one of the most talked about teams in the league, and it's only been a month. 4 and a half games out is not a lot considering the road the Sixers have taken in order to get there. This team is still very young, and not ready to make a lengthy playoff run yet, but the prospect of them even making the playoffs is fascinating.
Previous Game Rewind:
Sixers: The Sixers played another stellar game on Friday night as the Portland Trail Blazers came to the Wells Fargo Center. All eyes were on the streaking Sixers team, and coming from behind, they were able to take down Portland with four seconds left in the game off of a Robert Covington game-winning dagger from long range. All victory and pleasantries aside, the Sixers got a scare as Joel Embiid came down wrong on his knee after dunking over Mason Plumlee. Embiid was diagnosed with a knee contusion, and it is a probability that he could miss some extended playing time due to the injury as a precaution. Nonetheless, the Sixers defeated the Blazers by one, and won their eighth game in their past ten games.
Hawks: Friday night, the Hawks defeated the Chicago Bulls 102-93. Despite being outscored 36-15 in the fourth quarter, the Hawks were resilient, as they walked away victorious thanks to Dennis Schroder's 25 points, and six assists. Paul Millsap contributed 14 points, as Dwight Howard had 11 points and six boards. The Bulls did a good job of exposing the Hawks' weaknesses throughout, but Atlanta pulled away to win on their own court.
| Matchup Preview | January 21, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Philadelphia 76ers (15-26, 5-12 Away) |
Atlanta Hawks (25-18, 12-8 Home) |
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