Atlanta Hawks: Hawks vs. 76ers Pre Game Report

Don’t look now, but the Philadelphia 76ers are 3-3 over their last six games.  Since a mid-December drubbing at the hands of your Atlanta Hawks, the 76ers look like a team starting to put a few things together.

The last time the Hawks faced the 76ers, the team was in a similar slump that they are currently in.  The Hawks went on to win that game by 20+ points and then finished out the month of December 7-1 on their way to second place in the East.  But as good as the end of December was for the Hawks, the beginning of January has been the complete opposite.  The Hawks are now O’fer two games in and in their contest did the team look like they had any shot to win.  Both games have been against the Knicks and credit is due to them for outplaying the Hawks in both contests, but the Knicks are a team that the Hawks should, at a minimum, earn a split with.

Aaron Afflalo combined for 50 points in those two contests and was the difference in both games.  Aside from Jeff Teague’s lackluster performance in the first contest, the Hawks have been fine on the offensive side of the ball.  Rebounding and an inability to defend the perimeter have been their Achilles heel.  The 76ers aren’t as talented as New York on the perimeter and they don’t rebound the ball exceptionally well, so let’s hope that tonight’s game can bring the best out of this team and they can go on another run like they did to finish off 2015.

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The 76ers have exactly four wins on the season, but are coming off of a stretch where they have played their best basketball of the season.  I’ve never been a fan of GM Sam Hinkie’s “Trust the process” is their mantra and with the squad this organization keeps running out year after year, fans are starting to wonder what that “process” actually is.  But over the last three weeks, the team has looked a lot better.  Three wins in their last six games isn’t going to win the fan base back but it does give them a reason to look to the future, even if only for a second.

Brett Brown is the man at the helm for the 76ers but the organization felt the need to bring in former Suns’ Head Coach Mike D’Antoni as the team’s Associate Head Coach, a move that could pay off as long as they don’t continue to trade away promising young players for more draft picks.  Rookie Jahlil Okafor has been thrown right into the fire both on and off the court as he’s had to deal with mounting losses on the court and hecklers off of it.  He’s going to be a great player in this league, although likely not for the 76ers, but he’s taking his lumps early and should be better for it down the road.  He’s second only to Karl Anthony-Towns in terms of ROY to this point but that hasn’t been enough to get the 76ers out of the NBA’s basement.

Tonight will be the second of three contests between these two squads as the Hawks will return to the City of Brotherly Love early in February for the final tilt between the two teams.  Tonight’s game with the 76ers couldn’t have come at a better time as this team is in dire need of a victory before they head back to Atlanta to face Jimmy Butler and the surging Bulls on Saturday.

Keys to the Game:

Kyle Korver: To say that Kyle Korver has been cold of lately would be an understatement.  Over his last five games,

Dec 21, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Kyle Korver (26) shoots the ball against the Portland Trail Blazers in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Trail Blazers 106-97. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

the sharpshooter has been anything but going 5 for 48 from three (10.5%) included a two game stretch where he went 0-8 and 0-10.  I don’t know whether it is simply Korver being out of sync or if his ankle is bother him or if Father Time has finally caught up with him, but whatever it is, he needs to get back to his old ways because the Hawks desperately need the player he was for the entirety of last season with his ability to stretch the floor.  He looks good at practice but can’t seem to get it together in game situations.  With THJ being a non-factor all season and with the team’s lack of depth on the wing, Korver is still one of the keys to this team and he needs to get back on track tonight.

Double Jahlil: There is no secret about the fact that doubling guys is something that I rarely suggest.  But when the pieces around a player in need of doubling look like what the 76ers have to offer then I’m all for it.  I got a chance to see Okafor play in college and scouted him a little before the draft and let me just say that, offensively, he is the real deal.  His footwork around the basket is undeniable and he has a knack for getting guys on his hip and taking them to school.  He’s got an array of moves unlike any rookie I’ve ever seen.  Where he struggles is on the defensive end and he isn’t the best rebounder yet.  The 76ers don’t have a lot of options offensively outside of Jahlil so the Hawks should be able to send double teams his way to keep him from going off.

Projected Starting Lineups:

Atlanta Hawks

  • PG: Jeff Teague
  • SG: Kyle Korver
  • SF: Kent Bazemore
  • PF: Paul Millsap
  • C: Al Horford

Notes: Tiago Splitter (calf) is questionable to play on Thursday

Philadelphia 76ers

  • PG: Ish Smith
  • SG: Nik Stauskas
  • SF: Jerian Grant
  • PF: Nerlens Noel
  • C: Jahlil Okafor

Notes: Joel Embiid (foot) is likely out for the season

Other News & Notes:

  • Kyle Korver is shooting a career low 35.6% from three point range
  • Former Hawk DeMarre Carroll is having microscopic knee surgery and is out indefinitely
  • The Hawks have lost three straight twice this season after not losing three straight all of last year
  • Walter Tavares has tallied three straight games with double digits in minutes
  • Tonight’s game will be broadcast on Fox Sports South (TV) and 92.9 The Game (Radio)

Next: Three Observations: Hawks VS. Knicks