Joel Embiid, 76ers Even Series Against Trae Young, Hawks After 118-102 Game 2 Win
The Philadelphia 76ers salvaged a split at home.
The Eastern Conference's top seed defeated the Atlanta Hawks 118-102 in Tuesday's Game 2 of their second-round playoff series at Wells Fargo Center. Joel Embiid, Tobias Harris, Seth Curry and Shake Milton led the way for the victors, who still have to win at least one game on the road to advance to the conference finals.
Notable showings from Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and Danilo Gallinari weren't enough for the Hawks to steal each of the first two contests in Philadelphia.
Notable Player Stats
- Joel Embiid, C, PHI: 40 PTS, 13 REB, 2 STL
- Tobias Harris, F, PHI: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST
- Seth Curry, G, PHI: 21 PTS, 5-of-6 3PT
- Trae Young, G, ATL: 21 PTS, 11 AST
- Danilo Gallinari, F, ATL: 21 PTS, 9 REB
- Kevin Huerter, G, ATL: 20 PTS, 2 BLK
Embiid, Harris and Shake Milton Power 76ers to Series Tie
Tuesday was the first true playoff pressure the 76ers have faced this postseason.
After all, they cruised past the outmatched Washington Wizards in five games and didn't even need Embiid in the final win. Atlanta is a different story, especially after it stole Game 1 on the road and seemed up to the challenge against the Eastern Conference's top seed.
They responded to that dialed-up pressure right out of the gate, as Harris torched the Hawks by backing down smaller defenders and getting into the lane. He was unstoppable as the 76ers jumped out to an 18-point lead in the opening minutes and helped set the tone in what felt like something of a must-win for the home team.
Embiid also dominated down low, while Curry caught fire from deep. It looked like the game would be over quickly, but Philadelphia's defense and second unit was nowhere to be found in the second quarter as Atlanta battled back and, once again, increased the pressure on the top seed.
While Harris took over in the first quarter, it was Embiid's turn in the third. The big man consistently got to the free-throw line as he poured in 17 points in the quarter alone. That effort, along with a buzzer-beating launch from just inside halfcourt by Milton, put a nervous crowd somewhat at ease heading to the fourth.
That Milton buzzer-beater may have been the most important shot of Philadelphia's season, as he took over to start the fourth quarter and put the game away. He threw an alley-oop to Dwight Howard, battled for boards and hit multiple three-pointers to bury the Hawks.
It was the lift the team was looking for all game when Embiid wasn't on the floor and gives the 76ers another weapon as they head to Atlanta for series-shifting games.
Hawks' Comeback Attempts Fall Short in Second Half
It would have been easy for the Hawks to simply go through the motions and accept their loss after already stealing Game 1.
That was especially true after Philadelphia jumped out to a commanding lead in the opening minutes with Harris controlling the offense and Ben Simmons chasing Young around on defense. Young couldn't find his shot from deep with bigger defenders in his air space, and the Hawks were fighting an uphill battle from the start.
And then the second unit showed up.
Specifically, Huerter and Gallinari, who each scored 15 points in the first half while Philadelphia's bench went scoreless, showed up. They each hit three shots from outside to spearhead the comeback, and Embiid even picked up a technical foul when he pushed Gallinari as Philadelphia grew frustrated while the visitors pulled within two by intermission.
It was more of the same in the third quarter, as Atlanta battled back to take the lead after falling behind by double digits once again, with Bogdan Bogdanovic hitting threes. That it was well within striking distance even though it lost that lead before the fourth quarter felt like a win, especially since Young wasn't scoring like he typically does.
Still, Atlanta needed that scoring from Young if it was going to win another one on the road, and it never truly came with Simmons containing him for extended stretches.
The go-to option was 1-of-7 from three-point range and never took over like he did during Game 1 and in the first round against the New York Knicks. While he still finished with a solid stat line thanks in large part to his facilitating, he will need to be better if the Hawks—who scored just 18 points in the fourth—are going to win this series.
What's Next?
The series shifts to Atlanta for Friday's Game 3.
