Sunday night. South Philadelphia. Two teams enter, one team advances.
The 76ers and Atlanta Hawks will meet at The Center for the seventh and final installment of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, as the winner will move on to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the Milwaukee Bucks.
After falling in Games 4 and 5, the Sixers will look to capitalize on the momentum built in their bounce-back effort in Friday’s Game 6.
Game 6 was a hard-earned, 104-99, road win, fueled by steady contributions across the roster.Tyrese Maxey’s 16-point, seven-rebound performance off the bench was one of the game’s highlights.
Harris and Seth Curry each scored a team-high 24 points in Game 6, while Joel Embiid notched a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double (including seven offensive boards).
Curry scored 14 points in the third quarter alone, shooting 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from deep in the frame. In the series versus Atlanta thus far, Curry has shot 61.5% from the field and 59.6% from deep, averaging 21.8 points per game.
Reflecting on standout performers in the series, Rivers discussed his trust in his players across the roster following Saturday’s film session.
Friday morning, Matisse Thybulle had expressed similar thoughts, on the trust shared among his Sixer teammates:
And thrive they did in Game 6. Now, the Sixers’ next chance to thrive under pressure is the biggest one yet, on their home floor.
“In front of the home crowd, it’s a perfect setup for us to win,” Joel Embiid said.
Sunday’s Game 7 tips at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Opponent Outlook:
Trae Young has been the Hawks’ leading scorer in all six games of the Semifinal Series thus far. The young All-Star scored a game-high 34 points in Game 6, plus five rebounds, a game-high 12 assists, and three steals.
Young shot 13-for-30 from the floor and 5-for-10 from deep.
Kevin Huerter notched a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Clint Capela added a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double Friday. Danilo Gallinari scored a bench-high 16 points.
The Hawks shot 41.3% from the field (38-92 fg) and 32.3% from long range (10-31 3fg) in Game 6 (the Sixers shot 40.9% overall (38-93 fg) and 41.4% from deep (12-29 3fg)).
As of Saturday evening, Bogdan Bogdanovic is questionable for Game 7 (right knee soreness), and Trae Young is probable (right shoulder soreness).
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