Hawks at 76ers
THE STORY: Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference square off when the Philadelphia 76ers host the Atlanta Hawks on Friday. Atlanta has won four straight games and has the second-best record in the conference behind the Chicago Bulls. Philadelphia has won nine of its last 11 games and is the surprising early leader in the Atlantic Division while both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks flounder below .500. The 76ers suffered their first home loss in seven games this season Wednesday when they dropped an overtime decision to the Denver Nuggets. Atlanta leads the Southeast Division and the four-game winning streak has followed the loss of All-Star center Al Horford to a torn pectoral muscle. “I think when Al went out, it just brought us tighter,” point guard Jeff Teague said after Wednesday’s victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. “We’re going out there and getting it done.” The contest against Philadelphia is Atlanta’s first road tilt since losing Horford. The Hawks play six of their next seven games on the road.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, SportSouth (Atlanta), CS Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HAWKS (11-4): Guard Joe Johnson and forward Josh Smith have stepped up their performances since Horford went down. Johnson started slow this season but has four consecutive 20-point performances and has averaged 24.8 points since Horford was hurt. Smith has averaged 20.8 points and 11.8 rebounds and has three double-doubles in four games. “There’s an understanding that without Al, we’re missing a big piece of what we do here,” Johnson said. “Everybody has really focused in a lot more and really stepped their game up.”
ABOUT THE 76ERS (10-4): Philadelphia’s mistake-free style under second-year coach Doug Collins continues to produce results. The 76ers led the NBA in fewest turnovers last season and once again are at the top of the category this season, committing an average of only 12.1 miscues. Philadelphia doesn’t have high-assist players – point guard Jrue Holiday (4.4) and guard Andre Iguodala (4.2) are the team leaders – but also doesn’t have players who repeatedly make sloppy passes or other careless mistakes. The 76ers are 9-1 when committing 12 or fewer turnovers.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The teams split four meetings in a series in which the last sweep occurred since the 76ers went 3-0 against the Hawks during the 2000-01 campaign.
2. Johnson averaged only 13.7 points in three games against Philadelphia last season.
3. 76ers center Spencer Hawes missed the Denver contest with an Achilles’ tendon strain and is day-to-day.