ATLANTA — Dejounte Murray had nobody blocking his path to the basket. Yet the Hawks guard still opted for the highlight play, flipped the ball back to trailing teammate Onyeka Okungwu for the rim-rocking two-handed slam.
That sequence epitomized how the Hawks built an ultimately insurmountable lead against the 76ers, who lost, 104-95, at State Farm Arena, falling to 5-7 in what remains a clunky start to the 2022-23 season.
The final minutes did feature some unexpected drama, however.
The Sixers got within 100-94 when, after coach Doc Rivers had emptied his bench, Shake Milton went 1 of 2 from the free-throw line with less than two minutes to play. But Murray answered with a bucket and, after Rivers re-inserted starters Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris, John Collins followed an Embiid free throw with high-flying alley-oop dunk with less than a minute remaining.
The Hawks used a 25-11 run to close the third quarter — capped by a falling, high-arcing jumper by superstar nemesis Trae Young — to turn a 55-55 tie into a 14-point advantage into the final period. After a brief spurt by the Sixers to get within eight, at 82-74, the Hawks answered with seven consecutive points to prompt a Rivers timeout to try to quell the run.
The Sixers coach was forced to call another about a minute later, after Justin Holiday knocked down a 3-pointer before Okongwu’s authoritative finish pushed Atlanta’s advantage to 94-74 with less than eight minutes to play.
Both teams shot an ugly combined 12 of 56 from 3-point range — including a 4-for-32 start — and hovered around 40% from the floor until the Atlanta’s fourth-quarter surge. The Hawks could perhaps blame that on the fact that they were on the second night of a back-to-back. The Sixers, however, had two days off before playing in Atlanta.
Embiid finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds but committed seven turnovers, while Tyrese Maxey totaled 15 points, five assists and four rebounds but shot 5 of 17 from the floor. Clint Capela had 18 points and 20 rebounds for the Hawks.
Rotation notes
Rivers played a 10-man rotation Thursday, clearly mindful of attempting to slow down Young. Matisse Thybulle was the first sub, relieving fellow defensive standout De’Anthony Melton. Paul Reed was the backup center over Montrezl Harrell for the second consecutive game, entering later in the first with Georges Niang.
Milton then came into the game late in the first, before Danuel House Jr. started the second quarter in his return from a non-COVID illness. Embiid played stretch at the top of the second quarter with Melton, Milton, House and Niang.
In the second half, however, House re-entered the game before Thybulle. Niang also shifted to center when Embiid came out in the third, before Reed entered late in the third.
Young passes Rivers
Young finished with 26 points, continuing to catapult himself up the Hawks’ all-time scoring list in his fifth NBA season.
Coincidentally, he was on the same floor as the former Atlanta player he passed for 16th on those rankings Thursday: Doc Rivers. The Sixers coach scored 7,357 points during his Hawks career from 1983-91, a mark Young tied with a floater early in the first quarter and then eclipsed with a free throw about a minute later.
Round 2 Saturday
For the third time in their first 13 games, the Sixers will play the same opponent in consecutive contests.
They split the first two instances. The Sixers lost at the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 26 before winning (without Embiid) two nights later. They then beat the Wizards in Washington on Halloween, before falling at home two nights later.
Rivers said before the game that he was mixed on the setup, especially when it’s a home-and-home and does not eliminate travel.
“I don’t think two good teams want to play the same team back-to-back, because it’s hard to win both,” Rivers said. " … I like the competitive part of it [when you’re the team that loses the first game].”
