Atlanta Hawks vs Philadelphia 76ers: Game Preview, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineups for Tonight's Matchup

After five straight wins, the Hawks have an excellent chance to make it six straight against a 76ers team they've handled quite well this season.

Feb 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey (0) passes the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Dont look now, but the Atlanta Hawks are sneakily making a push for a top-seven seed in the Eastern Conference. They've taken advantage of their relatively weak schedule and won six straight to finally climb over a .500 record. Looking at their next four games, there's actually a decent chance that the Hawks are able to win eight or nine of the next ten games on their schedule. They play the 76ers tonight before taking on three lottery teams in the Mavericks, Bucks and Nets.

That being said, their path towards breaking into the top seven of the East could be derailed if they overlook the opportunity in front of them. Philadelphia is desperately trying to hold their place as the No. 6 seed in the East, but the absences of VJ Edgecombe, Paul George and Joel Embiid are going to be difficult to manage. Still, Tyrese Maxey can't be fully counted out and some of the young pieces Philly has in the frontcourt have flashed at times this year. Despite winning eight straight against the 76ers in their last 10 games versus Philadelphia, this is a game the Hawks could blow if they're not careful.

It's a great chance to get a much-needed win in the conference against a team ahead of them in the standings and Atlanta can't afford to waste it at this stage.

By the Numbers

Feb 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Cameron Payne (20) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward Corey Kispert (24) during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The inconsistency of Atlanta's offense has been extremely frustrating this year, but they've looked good against the weaker competition they've faced and just blew the Bucks out. They are 8th in points, 13th in FG%, 7th in 3P%, 20th in FT%, 20th in rebounds (22nd in OREB, 13th in DREB), 1st in assists, and 10th in turnovers per game. They're 16th in offensive rating this year.

Their defense has been better as of late and Dyson Daniels was particularly effective against Giannis in their last game, but the overall talent just isn't there for them to be an excellent defensive unit. Nevertheless, they are 21st in points allowed, 19th in FG% allowed, 15th in 3P% allowed, 26th in rebounds allowed, 5th in steals, and 18th in blocks. They're 14th in defensive rating this year.

This unit is different when Paul George and Joel Embiid actually play for the 76ers, but they've quietly been trending down on offense over the past few games. They're 13th in points, 26th in FG%, 19th in 3P%, 4th in FT%, 19th in rebounds (12th in OREB, 26th in DREB), 28th in assists, and 5th in turnovers per game. They're 14th in offensive rating this season.

Philadelphia routinely used to have solid defenses when Embiid was at his peak, but his absence and lack of mobility on that end this season have really put them in a tough position. They are 18th in points allowed, 16th in FG% allowed, 14th in 3P% allowed, 12th in rebounds allowed, 6th in steals, and 5th in blocks. They're 17th in defensive rating.

Three Reasons Atlanta Can Win This Game

Feb 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Jabari Walker (33) and Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) compete for a loose ball during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The 76ers' backcourt has been especially poor as of late due to Edgecombe's injury and the fallout of the Jared McCain trade. Trading McCain has left Philly incredibly shorthanded in the backcourt, leading to a ton of minutes for Quentin Grimes and legitimate minutes for Cam Payne. They've struggled to consistently space the floor due to the lack of depth. Since February 1st, they are 27th in 3P% and there's an enormous amount of pressure on Tyrese Maxey to get hot and carry them from beyond the arc. Nick Nurse has struggled to get his rotation shooters consistently open this season and it's been a huge factor in Philly's offensive struggles.

It's been the case for practically the entire season, but it bears repeating how horribly the 76ers play in the third quarter. They have the worst net rating in the third quarter by a country mile. For some context, the difference between their NBA-worst net rating of -17.1 in the third quarter and the Pacers at the 31st spot (-10.8) is the same as the difference between Indiana and the Bulls at the 21st spot (-3.5). Atlanta doesn't usually play much better coming out of halftime, but they can either get back into the game or put some distance between them and Philly due to how consistently the 76ers struggle to get going in the third quarter.

One of the Hawks' biggest advantages in this matchup is the ability to put Dyson Daniels on Tyrese Maxey. Daniels is usually a really tough matchup for Maxey to solve because he has the quickness to keep up with Maxey on the perimeter and the size to swallow up his shots or cut off his driving lanes. Daniels held Maxey to 28 points on 23 shots and it's truly incredible that he can go from guarding Giannis to Maxey in consecutive games.

Three Reasons Atlanta Might Lose This Game

Feb 19, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) drives around Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum (3) during the third quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Quentin Grimes' season for the 76ers has largely been a dissapointment after a breakout second half of the 2024-25 season. He hasn't looked like the same player who averaged 21.9 points and 4.5 assists on 37.3% from deep on eight attempts a night following the trade to Philadelphia. Even so, there's a decent chance he's able to get hot tonight and give the 76ers' poor spacing a lift. He's gone 0-6 over his last two games and he's shooting a career-worst 34.4% from deep this season, so he's due for a hot shooting night against an awful Hawks perimeter defense that he's made 2+ threes against for his past ten games against Atlanta.

Adem Bona doesn't play full games because of his propensity for fouls, but there's no question that he's one of the best shot-blocking centers in the NBA. He has a career 7.2 block percentage and the 76ers have a somewhat respectable 114.2 defensive rating in the 787 minutes when he's on the court. That's noticeably better than the 116.8 defensive rating the 76ers have in the 831 minutes Andre Drummond is on the court. The Hawks will be able to go at Drummond with ease, but they do need to account for Bona's presence as a shot blocker in relief.

While it could be a side effect of playing a terrible Jazz team, two-way forward Jabari Walker stepped up to give Philadelphia an injection of offense off the bench. He had 22 points on 7-12 shooting and 4-7 from deep despite being a 31.7% shooter from deep on the season. If this performance is a sign of things to come, it's entirely possible that the Hawks end up forgetting about Walker from deep and he makes them pay.

Injury Report

Atlanta Hawks: Jonathan Kuminga is questionable for the Hawks.

Philadelphia 76ers: Paul George and Joel Embiid are out for Philadelphia while VJ Edgecombe is doubtful.

How to Watch

Here is how you can watch tonight's game:

Tip-off time: 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA

Where to Watch: FanDuel Sports Network and NBATV

Projected Starting Lineups

Hawks

G - CJ McCollum

G - Dyson Daniels

F - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

76ers

G - Tyrese Maxey

G - Quentin Grimes

F - Trendon Watford

F - Dominick Barlow

F - Andre Drummond

The Hawks should win this one fairly easily and keep themselves on track for a playoff spot this season. I think the next four games are an excellent opportunity for the Hawks to put some distance between one of the Heat, Magic or Hornets before the schedule starts to get difficult.