Atlanta Hawks host one-win Philadelphia 76ers

The Atlanta Hawks are on a three-game slide. Will they stop this losing streak when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers who have one win in 2015-16?

The Atlanta Hawks are 14-12 on the season and have lost their last three games. Atlanta enters Wednesday night in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, but only 3.5 games back of the 1st place Cleveland Cavaliers who are 16-7.

While the last three loses for the Hawks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Miami Heat have all been ugly to some degree, the Atlanta Hawks may end up catching a break on Wednesday night when they host the Philadelphia 76ers at 8:00 PM ET.

Philadelphia has the worst record in the National Basketball Association by a few losses. The Sixers are 1-25 on the year with a 3.8% winning percentage. Their lone win in 2015-16 came on Kobe Bryant appreciation night in Philadelphia. Since that rare win, Philadelphia has lost their last games and are seven games worse that 14th place Brooklyn in the Eastern Conference.

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The Sixers have yet to win a game away from Philadelphia (0-15). Will the Atlanta Hawks come out with energy and outscore the worst offense in the Association on Wednesday night? Though Philadelphia may not put NBA-level talent out on the court, the players do play hard for recently extended head coach Brett Brown. Brown like Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer stem from the Gregg Popovich coaching tree in San Antonio. Philadelphia actually plays good defense for a struggling franchise.

Atlanta should win at home on Wednesday night, but need to establish a more consistent offensive attack should they want to ascend to the upper level of the Eastern Conference this season. The Hawks cannot rely solely on the long-range jump shot, as they will need to attack the paint albeit more aggressively than they have in recent weeks. It’s becoming a concern how many points the Hawks leave in paint on poorly executed layups.

Essentially, opponents are scheming for the Atlanta Hawks to make these outside shots and are doing a solid job of rim protection. Philadelphia with center Nerlens Noel do have great rim protection and he is becoming a great defensive player in year two in the league. Atlanta will need to assert the necessary defensive tenacity to hopefully jumpstart their offensive. Perhaps putting Kent Bazemore back into the starting lineup will hasten the process. Bazemore did have a game-high 28 points in the Hawks’ loss to Miami Monday night.

Next: Al Horford's style of play hurting the Atlanta Hawks?

The Atlanta Hawks hope to stop the bleeding against the Philadelphia 76ers tonight. Tipoff is at 8:00 PM ET and the game will air on Fox Sports Southeast. Let’s Go Hawks!

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