The 76ers (23-12) will chase a bounce-back victory Wednesday in Atlanta, visiting the Hawks (14-21) for the third of four meetings between the teams this season.
The trip to Atlanta comes on the heels of a difficult back-to-back for the Sixers, falling to the Knicks and Jazz while shorthanded over the weekend.
Five Sixers - Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, Robert Covington, and Furkan Korkmaz - missed the team’s most recent outing Saturday versus Utah. Harris, Melton, and Korkmaz returned to practice Monday and Tuesday in Camden.
Harris said the group attacked its pair of practices:
“[We’ve been] getting out here, going hard, and picking up the intensity with these days,” Harris said ahead of Tuesday’s departure to Atlanta. “Getting the whole group together, working on our defense, offensive spacing, and playing strong - it’s been intense. It’s good for us.”
The Sixers have won their first two matchups with the Hawks, the first on Nov. 17 in Atlanta and the second on Dec. 8 in Philadelphia.
Joel Embiid led the way in both outings, totaling 32 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and two steals in the first victory, and notching a 38-point, 14-rebound double-double in the second.
Tobias Harris recorded a 29-point, 10-rebound double-double versus Atlanta on Nov. 17, and Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points plus seven assists against the Hawks in the Dec. 8 win.
The Sixers occupy the No. 3 spot in the Eastern conference, while the Hawks sit at No. 12.
OPPONENT OUTLOOK
The Hawks (14-21) will also be looking to snap a two-game skid, falling to the Pacers Friday in Indiana and the Magic Sunday in Orlando.
Trae Young led the way for the Hawks in Sunday’s 117-110 overtime loss, finishing with 31 points, four rebounds, and nine assists. Dejounte Murray added 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Young leads Atlanta in points (27.8 ppg), assists (11.0 apg), and steals (1.5 spg) this season. Young’s 27.8 points per game mark the seventh-highest scoring average in the NBA this season thus far, and his 11.0 assists rank second. Clint Capela is the Hawks’ leading rebounder (10.8 rpg), and holds the second-highest rebounds-per-game average in the NBA.
Wednesday’s matchup with Philadelphia marks the first game in a five-game homestand for Atlanta.
SATURDAY’S KEY PERFORMANCES
Tyrese Maxey
- Maxey scored a team-high 25 points, plus nine rebounds, three steals, and a block in his team-high 42 minutes of play against Utah.
- Oubre finished with 24 points, four rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 37 minutes of play.
- Reed recorded his season-best 16 points, plus six rebounds. He shot 7-for-12 overall in his 25 minutes.
- Morris Sr. added 15 points, six boards, two steals, and two blocks in 28 minutes of play.
UNIFORMS
The Sixers are scheduled to wear their blue Icon Edition uniforms, while the Hawks will wear their white Association Edition uniforms.
FOLLOW ALONG
Wednesday’s contest is a 7:30 p.m. ET start in Atlanta.
Watch: NBC Sports Philadelphia Plus
Listen: 97.5 The Fanatic
@SIXERS SOCIAL
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