hawks 76ers

Atlanta earned tough victories in its first two games of the season, but the first real test of the season will come Monday night as the Hawks host the only other unbeaten team in the Eastern Conference.

Embiid ran over eight post-ups per game in 2019, on which averaged 1.05 points per possession – the second-highest mark among players who averaged at least four post-ups per game. There just aren’t many bigs in the NBA who have the physical strength to match Embiid, let alone the agility or wits to sustain his spins, fakes, and drives. The contrasting styles of Embiid and Simmons makes for a difficult attack to stop. Fitting Simmons into the halfcourt game is more complicated. Philadelphia coach Brett Brown called a timeout early in the final period after Young's 3-pointer gave Atlanta a 106-94 lead. Embiid scored 36 points, including the winning free throws with 5.3 seconds left, and the 76ers won their third straight to begin the season with a 105-103 victory over the In a matchup between the last two unbeaten teams in the Eastern Conference, Philadelphia made things tough for Embiid made 12 of 19 shots from the field -- including a couple of 3-pointers -- and knocked down all 10 of his free throws. Defending the big man will take a collective and continuous effort from everyone involved. He can be prone to taking ill-advised shots over multiple smaller defenders or settling for midrange jumpers when 3s or layups are available. Against other supersized teams (like the Knicks), that could present matchup advantages on offense, but the 76ers are quick and versatile enough on defense to mitigate the Hawks’ quickness and pace.

"The Hawks tied the game at 103 with 7.4 seconds left when After a timeout, Horford made up for his mistake by lobbing a pass to Embiid breaking loose in the lane.

Hunter has initiated a decent amount of offense through two games, especially early. "I couldn't get open. "We needed him, particularly offensively. One day after the Sixers fired …

Embiid demands that an opponent have a large, capable post defender, and the Hawks will have a tough time stopping him. Offensively, the Hawks could have a tough time creating the same looks against the Sixers’ length and bulk as they did in their first two games. "They were denying me the ball," he said.

Philly may have the best and most versatile defense in the NBA, which is anchored by potential MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Joel Embiid. When the offense doesn’t run through Simmons or Embiid, Tobias Harris or Josh Richardson is liable to orchestrate pick-and-rolls or spot-up while (Hawks legend) Al Horford keeps the wheels moving with keen passing and reliable 3-point shooting. Collins added 16 points and Young averaged 38.5 points in Atlanta's first two games. "The 76ers made sure Young didn't get a chance on that final play.

Facilitating is an area of relative weakness for Embiid, who despite posting impressive assist numbers for a center, also turned the ball over on 13.5 percent of his possessions last season. The 76ers, who began the night tied with Indiana for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, held their last lead at 21-20 against the Hawks, who are last in the conference. Damian Jones is not the answer. He was held to six over the final two quarters by the 76ers. The Philadelphia 76ers are, are armed with size and physicality at every position, and enter the season as one of the very favorites to make – if not outright win – the NBA Finals. It remains unclear whether Embiid, who is dealing with right ankle injury, will play Monday night, but the Sixers still have plenty of talent to throw at the Hawks. Young’s floater may become even more crucial Monday night, as Embiid tends to drop back near the rim in pick-and-roll coverage and swallow up would-be layups. Embiid, while dominant on the interior, isn’t a particularly mobile defender on the perimeter, though he’s perfectly capable of springing traps on shooting threats like Young and recovering to the rim. How does he fair against greater size and quickness?