Atlanta Hawks: 3 takeaways from the pummelling of the Philadelphia 76ers

The Atlanta Hawks needed a bounce-back win and they got it as they pummelled the Philadelphia 76ers, here are three takeaways from the game.

The Atlanta Hawks needed a bounce-back game after their four straight losses. This was the best time for the banged-up Philadelphia 76ers to come to town for the Hawks. They were missing Ben Simmons through injury, a number of starters and bench players due to the health and safety protocols due to COVID-19

The game started in a predictable fashion for the visitors fed the ball to Joel Embiid at every available opportunity. The big man rewarded them with 16 first-quarter points and the 76ers were able to take the lead into the first break.

The gap would have been greater than four points except for the exceptional energy of Brandon Goodwin. The second-year guard simply changed the energy level of the Hawks unit and changed the momentum of the game just by being who he is.

The Atlanta Hawks put this one to bed early

https://twitter.com/ATLHawks/status/1348810014459269121?s=20

The Hawks made the change to their defensive scheme in the second where they double and triple-teamed Embiid as soon he got the ball. This forced him to pass the ball out and make others take shots that they normally would not. The strategy worked exceptionally well and the game was over midway through the second frame.

After halftime, the Hawks played their starters for the beginning of the third before having the luxury of sitting their best players for a big chunk of the second half. This allowed the coaching staff to assess their second unit in a game situation and with five games in eight nights coming up, this rest could be crucial for the starters.