76ers vs. Hawks Game 6 Prediction
Following their massive fourth quarter collapse on Wednesday night, the 76ers are on the brink of elimination when they visit the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Will Philadelphia force a Game 7 or is Atlanta the play tonight?
Game Snapshot
511 Philadelphia 76ers (-3) at 512 Atlanta Hawks (+3); o/u 221.5
7:30 p.m. ET, Friday, June 18, 2021
Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
TV: ESPN
Philadelphia 76ers DFS Notes
Ben Simmons hit 2-of-4 shots and 4-of-14 free throws for eight points, four rebounds, nine assists, a steal and a block in Wednesday’s epic Game 5 collapse in a 109-106 loss to the Hawks in Philadelphia. The Hawks turned to some Hack-A-Ben tactics tonight, although they did it with their starters, helping to get both Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter in serious foul trouble. But it turned out to be a genius move as Bogi and Huerter had combined to hit just 3-of-16 shots and it forced Lou Williams into the game. Lemon Pepper Lou took over to score 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Hawks went on a 15-2 run to end the game and steal the win in Philly. Regardless of who wins this series, Simmons’ dreadful free throw shooting is going to make Doc Rivers think twice about having him in close games late going forward. Simmons has hit just 12-of-39 free throws in this series and 22-of-67 (33 percent) in these playoffs. Expect the Hawks (Hacks?) to be fouling Simmons whenever appropriate in Friday’s Game 6 back in Atlanta, when the Hawks have a chance to win the series.
Atlanta Hawks DFS Notes
Trae Young hit 10-of-23 shots, two 3-pointers and 17-of-19 free throws for 39 points, one rebound, seven assists and three steals as the Hawks overcame a 26-point deficit to shock the Sixers 109-106 in Philly for a Game 5 win to take a 3-2 lead in the series. The Hawks were all but dead, down by as many as 26 points and trailed 62-40 at halftime and 87-69 at the end of the third quarter. The Hawks went on a 15-0 run to close out the game until Seth Curry hit a meaningless jumper at the buzzer to stop the Hawks’ scoring streak. Lou Williams, who was finally brought into the fold in order to foul Ben Simmons after Kevin Huerter and Bogi Bogdanovic got into foul trouble, was the catalyst in the comeback and scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. The Hawks won the fourth quarter 40-19 and the Sixers were simply stunned in one of the biggest playoff collapses in NBA history. The Hawks will head home with a chance to clinch the series in Game 6 on Friday night and to loosely quote the legendary Joe Buck, “we don’t believe what we just saw.”
76ers vs. Hawks Playoffs Prediction
The Sixers are 1-7 against the spread in their last eight games in Atlanta and are 8-17 against the number in their last 25 games versus the Hawks overall. The Hawks, meanwhile, are 5-1 against the spread in their last six home games versus a team with a winning road record, are 20-6 against the number in their last 26 home games and are 4-1 at the betting window in their last five games as a home underdog.
NBA PLAYOFFS PREDICTION: ATLANTA HAWKS +3