Atlanta continues to go down the mouse hole against Philly!

The the first clash between Philadelphia and Atlanta two weeks ago he did not disappoint. In Pennsylvania, the Hawks came to spoil the party by winning 142-134 in double overtime to eclipse the season premiere of the Mackey-George-Embiid trio. Even in the absence of Tyrese Maxey, we could expect a vengeful Philly team from yesterday’s meeting between these two teams.

Except that Atlanta held its ground perfectly, taking the lead thanks to numerous individuals from Whit Krejci to Zachary Risacher through Jaylen Johnson who is still in triple-double, not forgetting the pair of Daniels-Okongwu, to be rewarded in the end with another success, 120 to 117!

Atlanta got off to the best start, counting especially on 11 points from Vito Krejci from the bench, on 3/3 shooting, to support the Alexander-Walker-Daniels duo and allow the home team to turn +10 after 12 minutes (39-29). But Philadelphia never gave up, first using a 4/5 3-pointer from Paul George to start the game to get back on track. Joel Embiid even briefly put the Sixers in the lead (46-47) before three-pointers by Whit Krejci and the very valuable Oniek Okongwu put Atlanta back in the lead at the break (59-55).

The Seekers miss the heist

If Embiid suffered in the first half, on 4/12 shooting, Philly could count on the outstanding relay of VJ Edgecombe, the author of 17 points in the third quarter, to help his team stay in touch, despite the new 3-point rush signed by Krejci-Risacher-Nevellskwarts-Okongwu and D. (94-91). With 3-pointers by Onyeka Okongwu and Zachary Rizacher early in the fourth quarter to increase the lead to +10 (106-96), Atlanta may have thought they had done the hard part. Only Paul George didn’t hear it that way and made three shots and then two 3-pointers to bring his team back within one possession (109-106), which under pressure started another “money time.”

Zacharie Risacher hit a long shot that counted for two points on a counterattack to restore the “momentum” to his team, and the Hawks followed him, answering every offense of Philadelphia. Okongwu answered Paul George from a distance, then Dyson Daniels scored two goals to answer VJ Edgecombe and Joel Embiid, confirming Jalen Johnson’s new “TD” (118-114).

With a minute left, Quentin Grimes applied pressure again with a 3-pointer, but he and PG then missed a chance to give the Sixers a 118-117 lead. After grabbing the rebound, Nikhil Alexander-Walker made both shots, and Quentin Grimes missed the equalizer with 2.5 seconds left. Until the end, Atlanta holds the fifteenth victory of the season!

WHAT TO REMEMBER

A collective effort by the Hawks. This Atlanta team has heart! Still without Treo Young and Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks have been able to reinvent themselves by discovering their talents. We’re thinking of Vito Krejci, impressive 3-point skill in recent weeks, Dyson Daniels, a proven talent who (finally) got his standard offense going this season, Zachary Rizacher, whose relay after the break was also valuable, but also Onyeko Okongwu, in all good shots, and of course Jalen Johnson…

Four in a row for Jaylen Johnson! Captain of the ship! The winger achieved a great feat by signing his fourth triple-double in a row! Struggling to shoot throughout the match after starting 2/10 in the first half, Jaylen Johnson didn’t push himself and thus helped his team in other registers, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 12 assists. Only two players in NBA history managed to string four triple-doubles 24 years ago: Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson!

Joel Embiid well contained. Two days after his 39-point outing, the Sixers center had much more difficulty against Onyeka Okongwu, who for his part was flawless on both ends of the floor. The author of a small 4/12 in the first half, Embiid lost his composure by elbowing his direct opponent in the jaw, penalized Flagrant 1. If he finished with 20 points on 8/20 shooting, Joel Embiid will suffer all night, and it was seen in the final seconds, when he denied the American in the last second. passing the ball to Quentin Grimes.

The last controversial decision? After missing two opportunities to go ahead and position themselves for a potential layup, Philadelphia saw red when, with 2.5 seconds left, Jaylen Johnson fed Nickyll Alexander Walker as he drove to his basket to try to run out the clock. Except the guard received the ball in the opponent’s half before heading to his basket, and was fouled by VJ Edgecombe. The Sixers screamed when they got back into the zone, but the refs actually awarded two shots to NAV, who didn’t flinch, giving Atlanta the win…)

How to read statistics? Min = Minute; Shots = Shots Successful / Shots Attempted; 3 points = 3 points / attempt 3 points; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive jump; T = Total number of jumps; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal mistakes; Int = intercepts; Bp = lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Difference of points when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Rating: player rating calculated based on positive actions – negative actions.