76ers at Hawks
The Philadelphia 76ers overcame a 15-point deficit and slapped aside one of the teams that had previously given them problems with a 118-115 victory over the Boston Celtics on Wednesday, which marked their sixth consecutive win. The 76ers will try to make it seven in a row and get closer to locking up the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Philadelphia knocked off Indiana and Milwaukee in addition to Boston during its current run and believes it can accomplish big things with the starting five of Joel Embiid, Jimmy Butler, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris and JJ Redick. "We got some true talent in the starting lineup," Butler told reporters. "I think, when you look down the line, we have a group of guys that can do something special if we're out there on the same page, we're all playing hard and we're all competing." Atlanta is already eliminated from postseason contention but is not rolling over and earned a 117-114 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday. The Hawks will have a say in how the races shake out with games remaining against Philadelphia (two), Milwaukee (two), Portland, San Antonio, Orlando and Indiana.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (47-25): Embiid is standing out among the stars on his team and collected 37 points and 22 rebounds while knocking down 20-of-21 from the free-throw line in Wednesday's victory. "I'm the leader, I've been here the longest, you can call me whatever you want to call me - franchise player, superstar, whatever," Embiid told reporters. "It doesn’t matter at the end of the day. I know what everybody believes and what everybody's put on my shoulders. To me, it's just about coming out every night and playing hard, trying to help the team get wins." Embiid recorded 40 points and 15 rebounds in Sunday's triumph over Milwaukee before sitting out a win at Charlotte on Tuesday.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (25-48): Rookie point guard Trae Young continues to earn himself votes in the Rookie of the Year race and posted his fifth consecutive 20-plus scoring effort and second straight double-double with 23 points and 11 assists in Thursday's win. Fellow rookie Kevin Huerter, who scored a season-high 29 points against the 76ers on Jan. 11, added 14 points after totaling seven points on 3-of-16 shooting in the previous two games. Young and Huerter are being led by 42-year-old Vince Carter, who scored in double figures for the fourth time in the last five games on Thursday.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Redick made at least four 3-pointers in each of his last five games.
2. Hawks SG Kent Bazemore went 4-of-6 from 3-point range after going 0-of-10 from beyond the arc over the previous four contests.
3. Atlanta snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 123-121 home win on Jan. 11 - a game Embiid missed.