After falling in Game 1 of the second round, the 76ers will look to get even with the Atlanta Hawks Tuesday in South Philadelphia.
Boasting elite defense throughout the regular season and first round of the playoffs, the Sixers are ready to return to their roots in Game 2, from the opening tip.
Following Game 1, Ben Simmons (17 pts, 4 reb, 10 ast, 4 stl) looked ahead, eager to thwart Trae Young’s (35 pts, 10 ast) momentum in Tuesday’s matchup.
Fellow defensive powerhouse Matisse Thybulle echoed Simmons’ sentiments after Monday’s film session.
“[We’re] trying to up the physicality a little bit, create more pressure, put more pressure on the ball… Not let them get into anything easily, and asserting ourselves physically on the defensive end.”
And while Thybulle’s trademark defensive presence was felt in Game 1, it was his offensive impact - scoring a bench-high 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting and 2-for-4 shooting from deep - that left an impression on his head coach.
Rivers also gave Thybulle props for putting in significant extra on-court work in preparation for the Conference Semifinal series.
“I bet [Matisse] took more shots than anybody on our team in the last five days.”
For Thybulle, the extra shots yield extra confidence.
“When you know you’ve put in the work, when you’ve done the reps, you have something you can fall back on,” Thybulle said.
In order to bounce back, the Sixers will look to ride the momentum generated by their second half performance in Game 1 - cutting a 26-point deficit to two in the game’s final seconds, and out-scoring the Hawks, 41-29, in the fourth quarter.
Danny Green will draw on his own playoff experience to stay cool while forging ahead.
“There’s still a lot left, we can turn this thing around,” Green said Monday. “We’re not in the position we want to be, but we’re okay - there’s still a lot of basketball to be played.”
Tuesday’s Game 2 tips at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Opponent Outlook:
The Hawks were humming offensively early in Game 1, taking a 42-27 lead out of the first quarter and extending that advantage as the first half continued.
Atlanta shot 63.4% from the field (26-41 fg) and 56.5% from deep (13-23 3fg) in the first half.
In the second half, however, the Hawks shot 40.0% from the field (18-45 fg) and 29.2% from long range (7-24 3fg).
John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic each poured in 21 points in Game 1, Clint Capela notched a 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Kevin Huerter led the Hawks’ bench unit with 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting.
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