Atlanta Hawks Destroy Shorthanded Sixers on Monday Night
After having just seven players available on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets, the Philadelphia 76ers had a couple of reinforcements for Monday night's game on the road against the Atlanta Hawks as Joel Embiid and Mike Scott were cleared for action.
Although the Sixers' situation on Monday was slightly better than Saturday's, it was far from ideal. Both the 76ers and the Hawks had lengthy injury reports leading up to tip-off, but Atlanta clearly had the advantage on Monday as the Sixers were missing eight players due to injuries and COVID-19 related setbacks.
The first quarter looked promising for the depleted Sixers. Although they struggled from beyond-the-arc early on, they averaged 52-percent from the field on offense. After missing Saturday's game against the Denver Nuggets, Sixers center Joel Embiid made up for lost time as he knocked down five of his eight attempted shots from the field, totaling for 16 points in his first eight minutes of action.
Unfortunately, when Embiid came out of the game, the Hawks found a way to pounce on the 76ers and really pushed the pace in the second quarter. Since the Sixers are down to just four reserves on the bench, the Hawks played uptempo, which clearly tired the Sixers out as the second quarter progressed.
Heading into the second quarter, the Sixers had a small lead as they were up 32-28 over Atlanta. However, they didn't stay out in front for long. The Hawks managed to knock down nearly 50-percent of their shots from the field and drained 40-percent of their three-point shots in the second period.
Meanwhile, the Sixers shot just 27-percent from the field and looked pitiful from deep as they only hit two of their 11 shots. After getting out in front of Philly, the Hawks outscored the Sixers by 19 points before heading into halftime with a 15-point lead.
The start of the second-half didn't look much better for the 76ers. As the Hawks kept their foot on the gas, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers essentially waved the white flag for the night as he sat Embiid nearly four minutes into the quarter. Once Sixers reserve center Tony Bradley hit the floor, it was clear Embiid's night was finished.
In the third quarter, the Hawks shot 50-percent from three. The Sixers, on the other hand, hit just one of their 10 attempted threes. Once again, the Hawks went on a run and outscored the Sixers by 17 points before heading into the final period.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Sixers were too far behind to form any comebacks. As Hawks star Trae Young put on a show with a game-high scoring night of 26 points, the 76ers took another expected bad loss on Monday as they fell short 112-94. Monday's loss marks the Sixers' third-straight defeat as they quickly head into another matchup at home on Tuesday night against the Miami Heat.
