Atlanta Hawks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Game 2 Prediction, Playoff Odds
The Atlanta Hawks already have accomplished the goal of stealing home court advantage in their Eastern Conference semifinal series versus the Philadelphia 76ers. And on Tuesday, they’ll look for a second straight road upset. The Sixers are 5-point favourites on the NBA odds with a total of 222.5.
Hawks vs. 76ers NBA Playoff Odds
With Atlanta stealing Game 1 on the road, the Hawks are now -139 favourites on the series line with the 76ers at +100. Not really sure I agree with Philly being an underdog already, but I can understand it. The favoured series exact score is Sixers in seven at +300, followed by Hawks in six at +325.
In Game 2, the Sixers are looking to avoid losing back-to-back home games for the first time since April 19 versus Golden State and April 21 versus Phoenix. Expect stellar defender Ben Simmons to guard Hawks star Trae Young more going forward: “Obviously Trae is very talented. Lot of respect to him, but I’m looking to come in and see if I can be a little more physical next game.”
Coach Doc Rivers started veteran Danny Green on Young in Game 1 as he tried to save Simmons for later in the game. That backfired as Atlanta got off to a huge lead. The Sixers are looking to win a second-round playoff series for just the second time in 11 appearances, dating to the 1986 season.
Atlanta Hawks
We predicted the Hawks to win Game 1 by two points because it was thought that Philly superstar Joel Embiid would sit out with a knee injury. He played, yet Atlanta still won 128-124 – the Hawks’ fourth straight victory in these playoffs. Young was sensational in Round 1 versus the Knicks and was again on Sunday with 35 points and 10 assists – although, the Hawks were actually outscored by 11 with Young on the court. He became the second player in history to score at least 30 points in his first four road playoff games, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar when he was with the Bucks.
No Atlanta starter had a positive plus/minus rating in Game 1, but every bench player was at least plus-8. Kevin Huerter led that group with 15 points. Starter De’Andre Hunter was out with a right knee injury and replaced by Solomon Hill. It was a bit of a surprise that Hunter didn’t play because while he did battle knee trouble all season and missed a lot of time, he played every game in Round 1 versus New York. The Hawks are 6-1 against the spread in their past seven.
Philadelphia 76ers
After missing the Game 5 clinching win over Washington with a knee injury, Embiid was in the lineup Sunday and didn’t seem hampered, although he grimaced at times. He finished with 39 points and nine rebounds in 38 minutes. Down 16 points entering the fourth quarter, the Sixers nearly staged a major comeback, outscoring the Hawks 41-29 in that quarter. Tobias Harris added 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Simmons had 17 points. Simmons seems to be in his own head at the free-throw line at this point however, going just 3-for-10 from the charity stripe in Game 1.
Expect the Hawks to foul Simmons intentionally in the fourth quarter of this one if the game is close. Former Raptor Green had just four points in 30 minutes on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Philly bench was largely useless with every member having a negative plus/minus rating. Dwight Howard had only eight minutes of action and committed two turnovers, two fouls and was minus-15. The Sixers have covered three of their past 12 versus teams with a winning record.
ATL
PHI