NBA Playoffs: The Hawks hold on at home in game four to tie the series against the Sixers
Atlanta, Georgia – The Atlanta Hawks held firm at home in a must-win game four to even up their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Hawks haven’t folded yet, as they narrowly beat the Sixers 103-100 in game four on Monday night. Trae Young (22) led Atlanta as they needed to win in order to keep some momentum and their playoff hopes alive as the series shifts back to Philly for a pivotal Game 5 later this week.
The Hawks found themselves possibly facing an even bigger mountain to climb if Monday night had not gone their way. And the Sixers seemed as if they had finally grabbed control of the series, even though Joel Embiid has been playing through his injured knee. This did seem to be a problem at times during the game, and the Hawks were looking to take full advantage of it.
Philly had been up by as much as 18, but when Embiid was missing from the game during the second quarter, it opened the door for Atlanta to catch up. Embiid just wasn’t himself after exiting the floor, having only scored four of his 17 total points after halftime. The rest of the Sixers couldn’t step up and fill in the void as the Hawks outlasted Philly for the win.
Overall, this loss was on the Sixers, who committed 12 turnovers as a team. Their offense wasn’t as productive as it had previously been, with Tobias Harris the only one to score at least 20 points in the game.
For the Hawks, Young dropped a game-high 25 points also tying a career-high in assists with 18, while Bogdan Bogdanovic also scored 22 points.
The series might now be a toss-up for both teams
Now that the series is tied, with both squads able to win games both on the road and at home, both teams have a genuine chance to advance to the next round. Atlanta has proven that they can indeed hang with the best of them, defending some of the East’s best players. And Philly might be more vulnerable with Embiid obviously playing at less than 100% and the rest of his team having some trouble stepping up.
Game 5 between the Sixers and the Hawks is back in Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Cover photo: IMAGO / ZUMA Wire