Using a historic 26-point comeback, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Philadelphia 76errs 109-106 to move within a game of the eastern conference finals.
Trae Young finished with 39 points, with 13 coming in the game’s final 8:55. He also added seven assists and missed just two of his 19 free throw attempts––the rest of the team shot 5-9.
John Collins finished with 19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. After a shaky first-round series with the New York Knicks, he stepped up big in the second round and gave Atlanta a reliable scoring option.
Danilo Gallinari and Lou Williams combined for 31 points and are one of the main reasons Atlanta was able to win this game. Williams scored 13 of his 15 in the fourth quarter alone.
Nate McMillan has to feel good winning this game after trailing by 26 points and then mounting the third-largest playoff comeback in the NBA over the last 25 years.
For Doc Rivers, this game has to feel like a gut punch after leading for most of this game and giving Atlanta’s defense problems all night only to lose frustratingly.
Joel Embiid ended the first quarter with 17 points on 8-8 shooting, and when the final buzzer sounded, he’d added 20 more points to his total. He also added 13 rebounds. However, two crucial missed free throws with 10.9 seconds to go and a three-point deficit put the nail in the coffin for him and the Sixers. He didn’t score for the final 8:55.
Seth Curry poured in 36 points, including seven three-pointers. He scored 13 in the fourth, but aside from Embiid, he received no other scoring help.
Embiid and Curry were the only two 76ers to make a field goal in the second half.
What to Watch for in Game 6
Another engaged, involved crowd at State Farm Arena
The Hawks have a 3-2 series lead and have the 76ers on the ropes. If Atlanta wins, it will be their first time in the Conference Finals since 2015. State Farm Arena has brought it every single game, and in a potential series-clincher, they’ll lose their voices if it means seeing their team advance.
Is there a way to stop Joel Embiid?
If Atlanta wants to punch their ticket to the East Finals, they have to disrupt Embiid early in the game. The MVP runner-up is scoring 32 points per game against them, including games of 40 and 39 to add to tonight’s 37. The Hawks will look at other ways in to contain him.
Game six will be Friday night with a scheduled 7:30 PM EST tip-off time from State Farm Arena.
