Atlanta Hawks 128-124 Philadelphia 76ers: Trae Young outshines Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid on the road; here are 5 talking points from Game 1 of 2021 NBA Playoffs round 2
The Atlanta Hawks took the game to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia with a 128-124 win in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Hawks got off to a flying start and maintained their tempo and intensity throughout the game.
The Philadelphia 76ers had a hard time making buckets early in the game, resulting in a 42-27 first quarter score in favor of the Atlanta Hawks. It got worse in the second quarter as the 76ers were down by as much as 26. A defensive burst from Ben Simmons helped the Philadelphia 76ers cut down the lead in the third quarter, but it was not enough to overcome the Atlanta Hawks.
The Atlanta Hawks won the game at the free-throw line as they were one shot shy of a perfect score. It was an obvious contrast for the Philadelphia 76ers, who went 24/35 from the line. Many of the misses came at the hands of Ben Simmons with his 3/10 shooting from the charity line.
Without further ado, let's move on to our five talking points from this game.
#1 The Philadelphia 76ers failed to contain Trae Young despite their size
The Atlanta Hawks caught fire early on and took the game to the Philadelphia 76ers in front of their home fans. The offense was led by floater maestro Trae Young, giving the Hawks an early 42-27 lead.
Young finished the first half with 25 points and seven assists as he torched the 76ers from beyond the arc. He was 8-13 from the field and 4-7 from three-point range.
The Philadelphia 76ers opted to double-team the Atlanta Hawks youngster to reduce his production, but he managed to find the open man. He finished the game with his third double-double (35-10) in the 2021 NBA playoffs.
#2 Bench production from the Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks bench played a significant role in securing the win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Much of the 76ers heavy lifting was done by the starters. However, an inspired second-half performance spurred the bench to register 23 of the team's 124 points.
Kevin Huerter led the Atlanta Hawks bench with 15 points with contributions from Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams. In the first half, the Hawks bench outscored the 76ers bench 19-5, with both teams rotating the same amount of players.
#3 The Philadelphia 76ers were not effective defensively
The Philadelphia 76ers came out disorganized as they could not contain any of the Atlanta Hawks players. It was a horrendous showing from the number two team in defensive rating early on.
However, the Philadelphia 76ers came out if the locker room refreshed after the half-time break. With several forced turnovers and rushed shots, the 76ers were able to cut into the double-digit lead and were on course for a jaw-dropping comeback.
Despite the effort of defense, it was not enough to stop the Atlanta Hawks. A late three from Gallinari, and John Collins converting the and-one dealt the final blow to the Philadelphia 76ers.
#4 The Atlanta Hawks were better from three-point range
The Philadelphia 76ers relied more on their mid-range jumpers and drives to the rim despite having some of the best three-point shooters in the league. Danny Green failed to find his rhythm from beyond the arc, missing several open looks that could have been pivotal in the grand scheme of things.
It rained threes for the Atlanta Hawks as they seemed to find their range early in the game. The Hawks missed more shots in the second half mainly because of the intensity of the defense. However, their three-point shooting played a role in the final result as they went 20 of 47 while the Philadelphia 76ers were 10 of 28.
#5 Joel Embiid impressed despite nursing an injury
Joel Embiid was listed as questionable ahead of this fixture because of a knee injury. He was hurt in Game 4 of the NBA playoffs first round against the Washington Wizards. Surprisingly, the big man still put on a show, registering 39 points and nine rebounds.
There were no signs of a pending injury even though he was not expected to be 100% this early in his recovery. He finished the game despite landing awkwardly on straining the right knee. Hopefully, there is nothing to worry about as we look forward to what will be a nail-biting Game 2.
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