Hawks at 76ers
After a big win reinforcing their dominance in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks will look to avoid a letdown Saturday when they visit the lowly Philadelphia 76ers. The Hawks tamed the surging Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to extend their lead in the East to 11 games over the Chicago Bulls with 21 games remaining. On any other night, the 76ers, losers of four straight and nine of 10, wouldn't be much of a deterrent for Atlanta, which has also won seven straight in the series.
Despite running away with the Eastern Conference, many analysts still favor LeBron James and his Cavaliers in the postseason, possibly adding a bit of motivation for the Hawks on Friday. Atlanta jumped to a 36-19 lead on 17-of-24 shooting and never looked back in recording its sixth straight win, but sharpshooter Kyle Korver wouldn't take the bait. "There is no statement win," Korver told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s a good win. We’ll learn from it, as we keep saying about every game. There are no statement wins in the regular season."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, SportSouth (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE HAWKS (49-12): Balance was the key again Friday, as Al Horford led six players in double figures with 19 points while point guards Jeff Teague and Dennis Schroder combined for 31 points and 11 assists. The guard duo is playing together more often, presenting all kinds of matchup problems for the opposition. “I like to play with Jeff at the same time,” Schroder told reporters. “We are pushing the pace on offense. We are way faster than everybody else. I think when we are both on the court we can push the pace every time. It’s been great.”
ABOUT THE 76ERS (13-49): Philadelphia shot just 36.4 percent from the arc in an 89-83 loss to Utah on Friday. Rookie Nerlens Noel continued to show promise with 10 points, 11 rebounds and six steals and new point guard Isaiah Canaan added 16 points and four 3-pointers. The second-year player is averaging 13.8 points in 29 minutes over his first eight games with the Sixers, but two-thirds of his shots have come from behind the arc (shooting 42-percent) and he has shot only nine free throws.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Horford has averaged 18.3 points on 60.5 percent shooting with 9.3 rebounds and five assists in three games this season with Philadelphia while Korver has drained 13-of-20 shots from the arc en route to 15.3 points per game.
2. The Hawks biggest weakness has been rebounding - ranking 28th - but Horford has averaged 10.4 rebounds in his last 10 games despite playing only 31 minutes per game.
2. After a home game Monday with Sacramento, the Hawks embark on a six-game West Coast road trip.