Hawks at Sixers
Tershe wins continue to come far less frequently than the Philadelphia 76ers hope, but there are small steps forward for a team that opened the season with 18 consecutive losses. Philadelphia hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday after pushing NBA champion Golden State in a 108-105 home defeat Saturday, and the 76ers ended January with victories in three of their final seven contests.
“We’ll take our licks whatever else happens,” coach Brett Brown told the media after Saturday’s close call with the Warriors, emphasizing the Sixers will continue to battle despite owning the NBA’s worst record. The Hawks are not struggling anywhere near the level Philadelphia is enduring, but Atlanta’s 60-win campaign from a season ago feels like an aberration. Atlanta beat the Mavericks at home on Monday 112-97, getting a season-high 32 points from Jeff Teague in snapping a three-game losing streak. “His aggressiveness and his energy really put us at a different level when he’s able to play like that,” Hawks center Al Horford told reporters after Teague shot 12-of-15 from the field.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Atlanta), CSN Philadelphia
ABOUT THE HAWKS (28-22): Atlanta has struggled in the first half of games this season but not Monday, when it held Dallas to 15 points in the opening quarter in leading most of the way. Guard Kyle Korver finished 4-of-7 from 3-point range, rebounding from a scoreless outing in Sunday’s loss at Miami and offsetting a rough night from Atlanta’s starting frontcourt – leading scorer Paul Millsap scored just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting. The Hawks enter Tuesday ranked seventh in scoring defense (99.7) after limiting the Mavericks to 36.5 percent shooting on Monday.
ABOUT THE SIXERS (7-41): Point guard Ish Smith has settled the offense somewhat since rejoining the team, averaging 8.1 assists in 17 games while helping Philadelphia raise its average from 18.8 per game to 20.5. Center Jahlil Okafor came off the bench Saturday with 13 points after missing the previous two contests with a neck injury; the rookie is averaging a team-high 17.2 points. Center Nerlens Noel averages 8.3 rebounds and adds 10.7 points on 52.4 percent shooting.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta is 2-0 against the Sixers this season, winning by 21 points in Atlanta on Dec. 16 and prevailing by 28 points on Jan. 7 in Philadelphia.
2. Philadelphia recorded 18 steals against the Warriors, the Sixers’ NBA-leading third game this season with 18 or more thefts.
3. Hawks C Tiago Splitter did not play Monday due to an injured right hip, the same injury that caused him to miss eight games earlier this season.