The Sixers-Hawks series is tied up through four games, which is the last thing many people expected. The Hawks are the lowest remaining seed in both conferences so exceptional is an understatement when it comes to Atlanta’s postseason run.
Projected Starters
Sixers
- PG- Ben Simmons
- SG- Seth Curry
- SG- Furkan Korkmaz
- SF- Tobias Harris
- C- Joel Embiid
Hawks
- PG- Trae Young
- SG- Kevin Huerter
- SG- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- PF- John Collins
- C- Clint Capela
One major reason behind the Hawks’ playoff success is Trae Young. The former first-round pick has been nothing short of phenomenal in his inaugural playoff run, averaging 28.3 points and 10.7 assists while shooting 43% from the field through nine games. After taking care of business against the Knicks in no more than five games in the opening round, Young has stayed consistent against Philadelphia putting up 27.3 PPG and 11.8 APG.
In Game 4, we saw Young rack up 25 points alongside a playoff career-high 18 assists which is the most assists in a playoff game by a 25-point scorer since Tim Hardaway in 1991. Interestingly enough, Young’s 18 assists tie his career-high in the regular season as well against none other than the Philadelphia 76ers…
It’s certainly frightening to see Young’s success against not only the east’s finest but against a team that has three all-defensive players this season. But as good as Young has been down the stretch, it’s tough to ignore how bad Sixers big man Joel Embiid played in a pivotal Game 4. The MVP finalist racked up a mere 17 points in 36 minutes and played atrociously in the second half, shooting 0-for-12 from the field, allowing the Hawks to outscore Philly by 16 points when Embiid was on the court.
It is no secret that Embiid needs to be better offensively for this Sixers’ squad to advance to the Eastern Conference finals, but they will need to step things up defensively at home on Wednesday for Game 5. Fortunately, the duo of Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons could complement Embiid at home for the Sixers to reclaim the series lead.
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Philly has a 4-1 record at home through the playoffs averaging 123.2 PPG. Meanwhile, the Hawks have a record of 3-2 on the road in the postseason and are averaging 106.4 PPG. To top it all off, the Hawks have not won back-to-back road playoff games as Philly is yet to lose back-to-back home playoff games which bodes well for the Sixers in Game 5. A potential tipping point in the series could be upon us.
Hawks-Sixers Odds
Game 5
- Spread: Sixers -6.5
- Total: 223.5
- Moneyline: Hawks +210
Series Price
- Sixers: -310
- Hawks +240
Odds via PointsBet
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