Tobias Harris Opens Up On Momentum Shift in Game 5 vs. Hawks

Early on in Game 5, the Sixers looked well on their way to regaining control of their series with the Hawks. After giving up an 18 point lead in Game 4, they appeared to learn the error of their ways.

Joel Embiid came out and dominated early to get the Sixers out to a big lead. Going up as much as 26 at one point, it was shaping up to be a convincing bounce-back win.

Things began to change in the second half. Like they have all series, the Hawks refused to roll over. For the second straight game, Atlanta found ways to mount a comeback.

The Hawks outscored the Sixers 40-19 in the fourth quarter to steal another victory in this series. For a young team with little playoff experience, this Hawks team has shown a lot of fight.

Multiple factors contributed to this gut-wrenching collapse from the Sixers. Tobias Harris gave his thoughts on what led to their downfall on Wednesday during his postgame media availability.

"In the start of the fourth quarter is when they started to gain momentum. We didn't get any movement offensively and defensively we were just non-existent for their run," said Harris.

Doc Rivers said he saw "a lot of the same stuff" at the end of Game 5 that he saw late in game 4. The ball stopped moving, and the team resorted to hero ball. It was on Joel Embiid once again to make a play as the Sixers attempted to salvage the game.

What led to these offensive struggles was a lack of production from the supporting cast. Embiid and Seth Curry combined for almost 80 points, and the Sixers were still not able to get a win. On top of their scoring outburst, they were the only players to record a made field goal for the Sixers in the second half of Wednesday's matchup.

Two straight games now the Sixers have allowed the Hawks to rally and steal a win from them. This series is still not over, but the Sixers have made the road ahead extremely difficult for themselves. The first step is going into Atlanta on Friday night to take care of business and force a Game 7.

Kevin McCormick covers the Philadelphia 76ers for South Jersey's 97.3 ESPN and Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinMcCNBA.