The Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on the back of some clutch buckets from two of the team’s most important young players.
Playing the Philadelphia 76ers at the Wells Fargo Center is not easy, as Philly has one of the best home crowds in the NBA. However, the Atlanta Hawks were able to visit the Sixers (playing without defensive anchor and best all-around player Joel Embiid) and defeat them on their home court.
All of the rapid reactions to this game must include some coverage of the one and only Kevin Huerter (or Red Pepper or Red Velvet or Red Head Redemption, credit to Atlanta Hawks Reddit for that one).
Huerter carried the Hawks down the end of this game and his fluid athleticism, striking pull-up shooting ability and extremely high IQ and he carved up the 76ers in this contest – especially in the 4th quarter when Huerter shared the backcourt with Jeremy Lin as opposed to Trae Young.
Red Pepper (or perhaps Ronald Threesley) looked eminently comfortable from tip-off in this game, as evidence by this amazing trick shot after a dead ball:
Kevin Huerter casually draining this shot from out of bounds. #NBARooks pic.twitter.com/zfL0WjwYuJ
— NBA Draft (@NBADraft) January 12, 2019
Huerter finished with a career-high 29 points, 15 of which came in the 4th quarter as he closed the door on the 76ers’ hopes of victory. He managed that point total on an amazingly efficient 11 of 17 shooting and added 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals along with a +15 in on/off rating. His niftiest pass of the night came late in the 4th — drawing two defenders into the air with a head fake then dumping off an easy one for Dewayne Dedmon:
Kevin Huerter is playing adult basketball. pic.twitter.com/V7AnnTglx0
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) January 12, 2019
Perhaps his most impressive highlight was this supremely deep pull-up three that tied the game at 121 apiece late in the 4th quarter:
"Pull up from THIRTY" -- *Stephen A . Smith voice* pic.twitter.com/xlO9MqGyPX
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) January 12, 2019
This game wouldn’t be complete without a mention of John Collins, who continues to play incredibly well this season – hopefully drumming up All-Star interest in the process. Collins was not quite as incandescent as Huerter, but he did score 25 points on 10 of 17 shooting with 9 rebounds, and it was JC (not Huerter) who scored the game-winning bucket:
Every time the Atlanta Hawks beat a good team this season, it becomes a referendum on that good team’s roster, coaching staff, playoff prospects and more. Inserting this wild Hawks victory into an already tumultuous 76ers situation might be a harbinger for changes to come in Philly.
The Atlanta Hawks play next on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. EST.