76ers at Hawks
The Philadelphia 76ers figure to end up with the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference but aren't delivering a strong finishing kick. Philadelphia has lost three of its last five games entering Wednesday's matchup against the host Atlanta Hawks, with two of the setbacks coming by 20 or more points.
All-Star center Joel Embiid (knee) is expected to miss his third straight game while Jimmy Butler (back) probably will miss his second consecutive contest. The 76ers badly missed both players on Monday, when they were drubbed 122-102 by Dallas in the second contest of their three-game road trip. Atlanta suffered a 117-111 defeat in San Antonio on Tuesday to reach the 50-loss mark for the second straight season. Kent Bazemore scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting after making just 4-of-31 shots over his previous four games.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBCS Philadelphia, FS Southeast (Atlanta)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (49-28): JJ Redick (26 points) and Tobias Harris (25) combined for half the team's points in the loss to Dallas. Redick made 4-of-11 3-point attempts while the rest of the squad was a combined 2-of-22, and Harris scored 25 for the second consecutive contest. Jonah Bolden (two points) and James Ennis III (four points) were in the starting lineup in place of Embiid and Butler, and both players were just 1-of-6 shooting.
ABOUT THE HAWKS (28-50): Second-year power forward John Collins is slated to return to the lineup after being rested on Tuesday. Atlanta knocked down 12 3-pointers in the loss to the Spurs to raise its team-record total to 1,011. "It's not so much the number of 3s we make, it's the type of 3s we make," coach Lloyd Pierce told reporters. "We're moving the defense and we're creating the shots we want and are seeking out. It's a result of our ball movement."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Hawks are 2-1 against the 76ers this season, including a 129-127 home win on March 23.
2. Atlanta F Taurean Prince (foot) likely will miss his fourth straight game.
3. Philadelphia reserve PG T.J. McConnell scored 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting against Dallas after averaging 2.3 on 6-of-24 shooting over his previous six games.