Atlanta Hawks: 6 Takeaways from 113-92 Loss to 76ers

Ugly Perimeter Defense, Uglier Perimeter Shooting

A popular YMCA refrain is “hand down, man down.” In other words, if you don’t put your palm in the guy’s face, he’s going to drain the triple.

Particularly in the second half, Atlanta seemed completely disinterested in defending against the three. Granted, a big part of Pierce’s game-plan was clogging the paint and double-teaming Embiid down low. However, such a defensive scheme only works when guys sprint to close out on shooters when the ball goes back out from the inside to the arc.

They didn’t do that, and too many Sixers looked like they were in pregame shoot-a-round, with acres of hardwood around them featuring no Hawks defenders. Philly ended up making 18 of their 47 three point attempts (not a very good ratio, but when you attempt 47, it’s all good).

Combine that with a paltry shooting performance from the Hawks, their second in a row, and it made a recipe for disaster.

After being tied 47-47 at halftime, the Hawks shot 1 of 9 from behind the arc in the third quarter. They finished the game 8 of 37. Not ideal.