76ers vs. Hawks: Doc Rivers on Why Sixers Fell Flat in Atlanta
Following a Wednesday morning practice session in Camden, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doc Rivers felt optimistic about his team's recent progress. After getting the All-Star big man Joel Embiid back in the mix, the Sixers climbed out of a two-game slump by defeating the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.
In Doc Rivers' eyes, Monday's win against Phoenix was the most impressive game the Sixers put together this season. Before the team traveled to Atlanta on Wednesday afternoon, Rivers believed the big turning point was coming from the 76ers after an uninspiring start to the year.
"You can feel us starting to get to know each other, starting to get our rhythm," said Rivers on Wednesday. "It's been a very unrhythmic year. If that's a word, that's what it's been so far, just with guys in and out in training camp. Guys only being able to go half to camp. Now guys are playing, and so you can just feel a rhythm coming, and that's a good thing."
Consistency is key for the 76ers this season, who have struggled to mirror their successful nights in consecutive matchups early on in the year. Thursday's game on the road against the Atlanta Hawks was a prime example of that.
In the first quarter of action on Thursday, the Sixers got a stellar effort out of Joel Embiid early on as he produced 11 points in eight minutes off six shots. Unfortunately for the rest of the team, they couldn't help Embiid capitalize on his early success.
Shooting just 35 percent from the field and going 1-8 from three, the Sixers trailed by nine points at the end of the first quarter. Fortunately for the Sixers, the Hawks struggled on the offensive end in the second quarter, which helped the Sixers go from a double-digit deficit to trailing just four points before halftime.
Philly needed a big third-quarter run to shift the momentum of the matchup, which is something they've been able to do at times throughout the year. Unfortunately for them, Thursday just wasn't their night.
"We missed a lot of wide-open shots," said Doc Rivers after the game. "We missed layups, probably seven layups, wide-open threes. That's gonna happen — it is. But then the turnovers on top of that, and I thought with each miss, the frustration, and you could literally see it, started to lead to no passing. Then, it really leaked into the defensive end."
Five turnovers, 40 percent shooting from the field, and a lack of successful threes in the third quarter allowed the Hawks to gain a 14-point lead over the Sixers at the start of the second half. Going into the fourth quarter, the Sixers trailed 80-66.
The Sixers signaled a possible waiving of the white flag in the fourth quarter as Doc Rivers went with an all-bench unit in crunch time. It was the logical move to avoid key injuries on a night that simply wasn't going the Sixers' way. However, Rivers didn't rule out a return for the key starters entirely.
"I told our guys if we can get it to ten by four, it was before four, I think it was at six. The game plan was, let's see if we can get it to ten," Rivers explained. "If we could get it ten, we can win the game."
Sixers veteran Montrezl Harrell helped offer a spark off the bench as he produced eight points in three minutes during the fourth quarter. With the Sixers getting aggressive on defense, they managed to cut into Atlanta's big lead and put the game within arm's reach for the 76ers.
"I didn't think it was over, I just thought we needed more energy in the game," Rivers continued. "You could see it, we had no energy."
Rivers' energetic lineup offered the spark the team needed on Thursday night, but it wasn't an exact recipe for success down the stretch.
"The problem is that the second group had great energy, we just didn't have a lot of offense," Rivers finished. "So, you know, you're kind of caught. We had a big play, had a turnover, I think it was an offensive rebound, and Matisse has it, I think we got Furk to the right, wide open, and we turn the ball over. That epitomized our game tonight."
With a little under two minutes left to go in the game, the Sixers knocked the double-digit deficit down to seven points. As a result, Rivers subbed Embiid, Tobias Harris, and Tyrese Maxey back into the game with less than two minutes left in hopes that their offense could help Philly seal a comeback.
A splitting of free throws and back-to-back unsuccessful threes for the Sixers led Rivers to finally accept the loss on the night. After another rough showing by the 76ers, they fall short to 5-7 on the year as the Hawks put them away 104-95.
Both teams will meet for a rematch at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly on Saturday night.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
