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THE SCORE OF THE BOX
Games are difficult when you miss Joel Embiid. They are even more difficult when most members of the team decide not to show up.
The Sixers have yet another terrible effort in Atlanta, falling into the hands of the Hawks, 130-122, at the State Farm Arena on Wednesday night.
The Sixers have lost the series of the season, 3-1, to an Atlanta team that has just won its 30th game. Even with Jimmy Butler (back) in training, it was an effort without interest.
They are still looking for their 50th win, falling to 49-29 this season, and have not yet won the third seed of the East with four games to play. They are now 7-9 without Embiid this season.
Here are the observations of the loss.
• Defensive intensity in the first quarter was comparable to an NBA All-Star game. It seemed that both teams were getting what they wanted, with the Hawks getting a 65% lead in the field and a 42-38 lead.
The Sixers seemed disinterested early. Atlanta did not even make tough baskets. They were just throwing pick-and-rolls out of the break. The Sixers did not fight through the screens and their transitional defense was non-existent.
With 9:08 in the second quarter and with the Hawks already 50 points, Ben Simmons stopped the situation for a while. The possession seemed to be over with another easy-to-carry bucket. Instead, as Jonah Bolden and JJ Redick converged on the ball handler, Simmons helped his man and blocked the fat man Isaac Humphries on the edge.
But this momentum did not last long.
• Trae Young just killed the Sixers in the pick-and-roll all night long. Whether it was Redick or T. McConnell defending the rookie guard, he ate them alive. In the last quarter, the duo of Young and John Collins seemed unstoppable. All other possessions ended with a Young float or Collins-ended lob. It was amazing that Brett Brown was not trying to change things and throwing Butler on Young as Young shredded the Sixers defense.
Young gives voters a topic of reflection in the rookie title race of the year. He finished with 33 points (12 shots out of 18), a top in the game, with 12 assists and only two turnovers. Collins was not left out, scoring 25 points.
DeAndre & # 39; Bembry, of Saint Joseph group, recorded 17 points (6 shots out of 9), six rebounds and four assists.
• Another thing to note: the Sixers were terrible from the free throw line. That was not the reason they lost, but shooting 22 out of 38 of the charity certainly did not help their cause.
• Redick had another strong game. He set the Sixers' record in a season with his 227th in the third quarter, surpassing Kyle Korver's franchise mark. It's always amazing how much Redick can run without the ball and hit while moving. He cooled as the game progressed, but he finished with 30 points, a top in the team, with 10 points on 22 of the field and 6 out of 13 out of three.
• Simmons really struggled from the ground in the first half. He was starting to look at the rim, but he ended up going 1 in 8 of the field. He missed some rabbits and was rejected at a dunk attempt by former Sixer Justin Anderson. Simmons was also mediocre on the starting line, scoring only 3 points out of 8. It was not much better in the second half for Simmons, who scored just 6 out of 17 points in total, but finished with 15 points. rebounds and eight assists.
• The position of the backup center is still a bit of an enigma. Bolden started again and his defense was of poor quality very early as against the Mavericks. But to the merit of the rookie, he overcame the beginning of sleep and even shone at times. He has also managed to avoid serious problems in this one.
Boban Marjanovic gave them an offensive spark, but was killed by the Hawks in the pick-and-roll. This type of match is a nightmare for the center. It is the growing concern to use it in post-season.
• James Ennis had to leave the game early in the third quarter due to a bruise on the right quad, injury that caused him to miss two games last week.
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