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Atlanta Hawks face seven-win Philadelphia 76ers

By John Buhler

Jan 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha (25) moves the ball upcourt during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Atlanta won the game 126-98. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Thabo Sefolosha (25) moves the ball upcourt during the third quarter of the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center. Atlanta won the game 126-98. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Atlanta Hawks look to continue their winning ways when they travel to Philadelphia to play a 76ers team that has won only seven games this year.

The Atlanta Hawks successfully ended their three-game losing streak on Monday night at Philips Arena when they defeated the Dallas Mavericks, 112-97. Atlanta sits in third place in the Eastern Conference tied with the Boston Celtics with a 28-22 entering play Wednesday night.

Atlanta will travel to Philadelphia to take on the worst team in the NBA in the 7-41 Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Tipoff is at 7:00 PM ET and the game will air on Fox Sports Southeast.

The Atlanta Hawks have already defeated the Philadelphia 76ers twice this season, once at home on December 16th, 127-106, and once at the Wells Fargo Center on January 7th, 126-98. This game could, along with their Monday night defeat of the Mavericks, stand as a jumping off point for the Atlanta Hawks’ offense.

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Being able to put up over 125 points in both games against Philadelphia sounds promising for an Atlanta Hawks team that at times struggles to put the basketball through the cylinder effectively. Surely, Philadelphia will play hard defensively like the always do for head coach Brett Brown, but the non-NBA roster of the 76ers certainly has its limitations especially on offense.

Jeff Teague had a 32-point performance against Dallas on Monday night. Kyle Korver has in the last few games, not including a zero-point performance against Miami on Sunday, is starting to heat up from three-point land. Paul Millsap and Al Horford average at least 10 points a game nightly for the Atlanta Hawks.

Yes, bring the defensive intensity, but it would sit very well with the team’s morale to put together another all-round strong offensive game plan when they take on the 76ers at their place Wednesday night.

While the No. 1 Cleveland Cavaliers and the No. 2 Toronto Raptors have absolutely distanced themselves from the rest of the Eastern Conference, third place through eighth place in the East is only separated by 2.0 games.

With the No. 8 Indiana Pacers coming up on Friday, Atlanta needs to win over Philadelphia on Wednesday to keep pace in the East, as the Hawks have not played well against the Pacers this season in the slightest.

Next: Atlanta Hawks wrangle Dallas Mavericks, 112-97

Knowing that even during their recent struggles as a basketball team, the Atlanta Hawks are still in a position to hold on to home court advantage in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The middle of the pack in the East is especially tight and hopefully the Hawks can get another victory in the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday night. Let’s Go Hawks!

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