Category: Basketball

3 observations after Sixers' losing streak hits 4 games with defeat to Hawks  originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

To no one’s surprise, the shorthanded Sixers’ losing streak reached four games Sunday night in Atlanta.

The Hawks picked up a 132-119 victory at State Farm Arena. Atlanta moved to 35-36 overall and the Sixers dipped to 23-48. 

Quentin Grimes recorded 26 points and six assists. Justin Edwards added 22 points.

Hawks star Trae Young posted 28 points and 12 assists. Rookie Zaccharie Risacher had 22 points.

The Sixers had 10 players out with injuries. Below is the full list:

• Tyrese Maxey (lower back sprain and right finger sprain) 
• Joel Embiid (season-ending left knee injury) 
• Paul George (season-ending left adductor and left knee injuries) 
• Jared McCain (season-ending left lateral meniscus surgery) 
• Eric Gordon (season-ending right wrist surgery)  
• Kelly Oubre Jr. (right knee sprain) 
• Lonnie Walker IV (concussion) 
• Adem Bona (left ankle sprain) 
• Kyle Lowry (right hip injury) 
• Andre Drummond (left toe sprain)

Oshae Brissett was also ruled out in the second half because of right knee swelling.

The Sixers will complete their six-game road trip Monday night against the Pelicans. Here are observations on their defeat to the Hawks: 

Inauspicious start 

Nothing about the first two minutes suggested the Sixers were going to snap their skid. 

The team committed turnovers on its first two possessions and Atlanta scored the night’s first five points. And, with just 89 seconds elapsed, Sixers head coach Nick Nurse got a technical foul for his sideline complaints about the officiating. 

Individually, Edwards again started very well. He scored eight points in about six minutes and continued to show growing comfort at attacking closeouts when open jumpers aren’t available. Edwards has drawn 11 free throws over the last two games. Before Friday, he’d averaged just 1.2 free throws per game in his rookie year. 

The Sixers’ defense again leaked all sorts of points. Georges Niang quickly drilled two long-range shots after checking in. Three Niang free throws with 3.9 seconds left in the first quarter gave the Hawks a 35-24 lead. 

Hawks’ bench has major edge 

Another reason the Sixers fell behind is Grimes wasn’t on his A-game early. He missed his first two jumpers short and only scored two points in the first quarter. Still, Grimes managed to post at least 25 for an eight consecutive game.

Once both benches entered the picture, Atlanta had a sizable advantage. The Hawks outscored the Sixers’ second unit by a 36-11 margin in the first half. On top of Niang’s 20 points, Dominick Barlow recorded a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Clearly, the Sixers don’t have tons of manpower or firepower off the bench.

Their four available second-unit players Sunday were Jared Butler, Ricky Council IV, Alex Reese and Brissett. Council followed up his career-high performance against the Spurs with 14 points in 19 minutes, but he fouled out early in the fourth quarter.

Lottery picture update

Risacher had a big third quarter and the Hawks’ lead continued to expand. His corner three stretched Atlanta’s advantage to 81-60.

From there, the only real question was exactly how much the Sixers would lose by. Though the Sixers kept plugging away, cutting a deficit as high as 27 points down to 11 with a little under four minutes left, the fourth quarter was still low-stress for Atlanta.

Of course, the subtext of every Sixers defeat is that it boosts their NBA draft lottery outlook. (The team’s first-round pick this year is top-six protected.) After Sunday’s games, the Sixers are tied with the Nets for the league’s fifth-worst record. New Orleans is fourth-worst at 19-53.

The Raptors sit slightly behind the Sixers and Nets in terms of the draft lottery picture at 24-47. Like the Sixers, they’re on a four-game losing streak. Toronto dropped a 123-89 game Sunday to the Spurs.