76ers at Hawks
The Philadelphia 76ers seek their first four-game winning streak in more than three years when they visit the surging Atlanta Hawks on Saturday. A 3-pointer by Robert Covington in the closing seconds lifted the 76ers to a dramatic 93-92 victory over Portland at home Friday night, their eighth victory in the last 10 games overall.
Seven of those wins came by single digits and four by two points or fewer for a squad that suddenly thrives in clutch situations. Covington's heroics gave him 22 points and star center Joel Embiid had 18 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Embiid is already expected to sit this one out for the 76ers as he continues to rest on the second half of back-to-backs. Atlanta has been just as hot with 10 wins in 12 games, the most recent a 102-93 triumph over Chicago at home Friday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CSN Philly (Philadelphia), FSN Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (15-26): Jahlil Okafor sat out the previous two games to rest but figures to return to the lineup with Embiid on the sidelines for this one. Okafor has expressed frustration with his dwindling playing time but was quite effective the last time he saw some action, averaging 18 points while shooting 14-for-21 in games against Washington and Milwaukee over the holiday weekend. Forward Ersan Ilyasova is averaging 21 points while making 8-of-12 3-pointers over the past two games.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (25-18): Although a near-collapse forced coach Mike Budenholzer to bring back some starters in the waning moments Friday night, Atlanta built a big lead early on and was able to keep every player to less than 30 minutes. Point guard Dennis Schroder made the most of his 27 minutes, scoring 25 points and handing out six assists. He had 16 points and eight assists in the previous meeting with Philadelphia and 11 points and 11 assists in the first encounter, a 104-72 victory for the Hawks on Oct. 29.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Atlanta has won five straight meetings and 12 of the last 13.
2. Hawks C Dwight Howard was 3-of-11 from the field against the Bulls after making 17-of-22 shots over his previous four games.
3. The 76ers are 1-7 in the second half of back-to-backs. The Hawks are 6-3.