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The Philadelphia 76ers thought they learned a valuable lesson on Monday night. As they led the Atlanta Hawks by as much as 18 points in the first half of Game 4, the Sixers believed they might've had the game in the bag.

By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the 18-point cushion was cut down to two. When the fourth quarter concluded, the Sixers allowed the Hawks to tie the second-round series at two with a 103-100 victory.

On Wednesday night, the Sixers got off to a quick start in Game 5. Knowing they had to make up for their mistakes from the other night, Philly opened up the game by outscoring Atlanta 38-24 in the first quarter.

When halftime rolled around, the Sixers led by as much as 26 points. After learning that no lead is impossible to come back from just two days prior, you would think the 76ers would do everything in their power to prevent the Hawks from gaining enough steam to climb back into the game.

But the Sixers simply didn't see it coming once again. After getting outscored 29-25 in the third quarter, the Sixers learned the Hawks weren't ready to give up just yet. Still, with an 18-point lead, the Sixers might've believed the game was too far out of Atlanta's reach -- but that's nothing a 40-point fourth-quarter rally couldn't fix.

“At the start of the fourth is when they started to gain momentum,” said Sixers veteran forward Tobias Harris. “We didn’t get any movement offensively in what we were doing, and then defensively, we were just non-existent out there for their run. That was really the game shifting and into the fourth quarter where we’re trading baskets, and then they ended up making good plays, making threes down the stretch, and scoring pretty much every single time down. That just hurt us.”

In the second half, the Sixers struggled offensively as they turned the ball over 11 times, which generated 20 points for the Hawks. Aside from Seth Curry, nobody could really get it going from the field, either. Joel Embiid, who collected 24 points before halftime, cooled down and accounted for just 13 points in the second half. 

Meanwhile, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris combined for just two points in the final two quarters. From Simmons' viewpoint, the Sixers went into coast mode. Even though they learned that this young Hawks team is scrappy and doesn't give up, the Sixers proved to either have a short memory -- or are just flat-out stubborn.

“We just slowed it down too much,” Simmons explained after the game. “I think we got too comfortable with that lead and slow it down too much. The spacing also, when I run, it is hard, so I think if we do those things, it’s gonna open up and then give me my lanes to be aggressive.”

The Sixers had a little room for error throughout their last two games, but they abused it both times. Now, they'll pay for it as Atlanta takes a one-game lead in the series. With their backs against the wall, the Sixers have no choice but to sink or swim on Friday night on the road. 

If they can pull off another win away from home, the Sixers live to fight another day. If Wednesday's defeat was too much, they'd certainly fail to meet the team's expectations of winning a championship this year as they'll pack their bags before the Eastern Conference Finals once again. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.