The Philadelphia 76ers (11-11) and Atlanta Hawks (12-10) will battle on Friday at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. EST. While both teams have underperformed so far in 2021, there is plenty of time to turn things around.
Philadelphia is just 3-7 over their past ten contests and dropped a heart-wrenching 88-87 game to the Celtics last time out.
Atlanta defeated the Pacers 114-111 in their last game and are 8-2 over their last 10.
Despite both teams heading in opposite directions from a success standpoint, Friday should produce a hard-fought competitive matchup between the 76ers and Hawks.
76ers at Hawks Betting Analysis
On the 76ers side
The 76ers are still rounding into form here in December. Between injuries and underperformance, 2021 has not gone as planned so far. Nonetheless, the season is young.
Joel Embiid has been solid so far this season. The big man leads the Sixers with 22 points per game to go along with 10.9 rebounds. But he has battled inconsistencies this year.
Embiid gobbled up an astounding 18 rebounds in the recent loss against Boston but only mustered 13 points. While part of that was a well-planned defensive scheme by the Celtics, Embiid looked a bit off. But we need to give him the benefit of the doubt given that he has been hampered by missed time due to covid and injuries.
The Sixers rank 16th in scoring per game.
One other talking point on offense for the Sixers is their impressive ability to take care of the basketball. They only turn the ball over 11.6 times per game which ranks second in the NBA. Guess who ranks first?
That’s right, the Hawks.
Defensively, they have been extremely scrappy. Philly is ranked in the top 10 in both steals and blocked shots. This is a defense that is going to make momentum-changing plays in games.
Regardless of the team’s recent underwhelming play, they should be alright in the long run.
On the Hawks side
The Hawks are hot right now!
Trae Young might find himself in the MVP conversation if he maintains his current pace of play. The star point guard is averaging over 26 points per game and 9.1 assists per game. Young dropped 33 points, ten assists, and eight rebounds in a clutch performance to lead Atlanta to a 114-111 win against the Pacers on Wednesday.
As mentioned above, Atlanta leads the league in limiting turnovers with just 11.5 per game. The success from that statistic has been apparent over their past ten games.
The Hawks also rank second in three-point percentage with a mark of 37.4 and seventh in points per game.
While Atlanta’s defense is not quite as impressive, it still is serviceable.
The Hawks are feeling confident for this home matchup.
Philadelphia 76ers at Atlanta Hawks Prediction
Atlanta is favored to win by most top sportsbooks by 1.5 points. This should come as no surprise given their 8-2 record over their last ten games to go along with the 76ers struggles as of late. The home-court advantage is a driving factor as well.
I don’t like counting out the Sixers because they are a talented team. However, this Hawks team has been undeniably impressive, and I am rolling with them for Friday’s game.
Take the Hawks -1.5.
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