Behind an unlikely hero in Kevin Huerter, the Atlanta Hawks marched into the Wells Fargo Center and defeated the Philadelphia 76ers 103-96 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Kevin Huerter finished with career-high 27 points and seven rebounds, while Trae Young needed 23 shots to score 21 points. Young also added 10 assists. John Collins finished with 14 points and a playoff career-high 16 rebounds.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball: neither finished better than 45% from the field or 33% from three.
The 76ers’ 17 turnovers led to 10 points for the Hawks, who never led by more than seven points throughout the game––Joel Embiid was responsible for eight of them.
However, the 76ers’ All-NBA center also poured in 31 points and 11 rebounds. Tobias Harris finished with 24 points in 45 minutes––but needed 24 shots to do so––and 14 rebounds– while Seth Curry added 16 points.
Key Storylines:
The Hawks supporting cast rises to the occasion
Young struggled to find a rhythm until the fourth quarter, where he scored 10 points. Outside of Young, Huerter’s career night stole the show, consistently hitting shots no matter his matchup. Danilo Gallinari also added 17 points off the bench, following up his 16 points from Game 6.
Hawks’ defense on Joel Embiid
Sure, the Sixers big man averaged 30 points and 13 rebounds a game, but the Hawks adapted to his tendencies as well. Embiid combined for 16 turnovers in Games 6 and 7, and it’s clear that Hawks head coach Nate McMillan’s game plan was effective.
The Hawks will now look ahead to Wednesday, where they’ll face the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals starting at 8:30 p.m. EST.
