Sixers Even Series With Comfortable Win Over Hawks
The Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 118-102, at Wells Fargo Center for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Tuesday evening.
The 76ers knew they had to flip the script following their disappointing defeat in Game 1, and that is exactly what happened -- they delivered a strong effort on both ends of the court and cruised their way towards a comfortable victory over a struggling Hawks team that couldn't match up with Philadelphia, particularly from a physical point of view. The Sixers quickly jumped out to a 33-20 score in the first half, but the Hawks wouldn't go down without a fight and made it a close game following a 35-24 score in the second quarter. Philadelphia ran Atlanta out of the court in the second half, though, and they won the final two quarters by scores of 34-29 and 27-18, respectively.
Trae Young led the way for the Hawks with 21 points and 11 assists, but he shot just 1-for-7 from three-point range. Danilo Gallinari also had 21 points and Kevin Huerter chipped in with 20 points, but the curious thing about that is that both came off the bench. When it comes to the starters, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14 points while Clint Capela had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Joel Embiid looked dominant for the Sixers and finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds, while Tobias Harris contributed 22 points, six rebounds and four boards. Seth Curry finished with 21 points and five treys out of six attempts, and Ben Simmons ended with just four points but seven dimes. Shake Milton ended with 14 points and three rebounds coming off the bench for the Sixers.
The 76ers knew they had to flip the script following their disappointing defeat in Game 1, and that is exactly what happened -- they delivered a strong effort on both ends of the court and cruised their way towards a comfortable victory over a struggling Hawks team that couldn't match up with Philadelphia, particularly from a physical point of view. The Sixers quickly jumped out to a 33-20 score in the first half, but the Hawks wouldn't go down without a fight and made it a close game following a 35-24 score in the second quarter. Philadelphia ran Atlanta out of the court in the second half, though, and they won the final two quarters by scores of 34-29 and 27-18, respectively.
Trae Young led the way for the Hawks with 21 points and 11 assists, but he shot just 1-for-7 from three-point range. Danilo Gallinari also had 21 points and Kevin Huerter chipped in with 20 points, but the curious thing about that is that both came off the bench. When it comes to the starters, Bogdan Bogdanovic had 14 points while Clint Capela had 10 points and eight rebounds.
Joel Embiid looked dominant for the Sixers and finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds, while Tobias Harris contributed 22 points, six rebounds and four boards. Seth Curry finished with 21 points and five treys out of six attempts, and Ben Simmons ended with just four points but seven dimes. Shake Milton ended with 14 points and three rebounds coming off the bench for the Sixers.
Jazz Edges Clippers in Game 1, 112-109
The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers, 112-109, in Game 1 of their Western Conference semifinal round series on Tuesday night at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Jazz leads the series, 1-0.
The Clippers (0-1) opened the contest apparently still carrying over plenty of momentum from their big Game 7 win over the Mavericks 48 hours prior, as they emerged from the opening period with a seven-point lead that they'd extended to 13 by halftime. However, Utah came out of intermission a completely different team, outscoring Los Angeles by a 32-19 margin in the third quarter to send the game into the final period knotted up at 79. The hosts then appeared to have the game well in hand as late as the 1:48 mark of the final period, but they nearly saw their eight-point edge evaporate until Rudy Gobert blocked Marcus Morris' would-be game-tying three-point attempt with one second left to ensure victory.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 23 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Paul George furnished 20 points, 10 boards and two assists. Luke Kennard delivered 18 points and two boards. Ivica Zubac supplied 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Morris and Reggie Jackson generated matching nine-point tallies while recording three rebounds and three assists, respectively.
Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 45 points, complementing them with five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson netted 18 points each while posting five and two rebounds, respectively. Gobert contributed a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included three blocks. Royce O'Neale finished with eight points, 11 boards, three assists, one steal and one block.
The two teams reconvene at Vivint Smart Home Arena for Game 2 on Thursday night.
The Clippers (0-1) opened the contest apparently still carrying over plenty of momentum from their big Game 7 win over the Mavericks 48 hours prior, as they emerged from the opening period with a seven-point lead that they'd extended to 13 by halftime. However, Utah came out of intermission a completely different team, outscoring Los Angeles by a 32-19 margin in the third quarter to send the game into the final period knotted up at 79. The hosts then appeared to have the game well in hand as late as the 1:48 mark of the final period, but they nearly saw their eight-point edge evaporate until Rudy Gobert blocked Marcus Morris' would-be game-tying three-point attempt with one second left to ensure victory.
Kawhi Leonard led the Clippers with 23 points, adding seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Paul George furnished 20 points, 10 boards and two assists. Luke Kennard delivered 18 points and two boards. Ivica Zubac supplied 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks. Morris and Reggie Jackson generated matching nine-point tallies while recording three rebounds and three assists, respectively.
Donovan Mitchell paced the Jazz with 45 points, complementing them with five assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block. Bojan Bogdanovic and Jordan Clarkson netted 18 points each while posting five and two rebounds, respectively. Gobert contributed a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included three blocks. Royce O'Neale finished with eight points, 11 boards, three assists, one steal and one block.
The two teams reconvene at Vivint Smart Home Arena for Game 2 on Thursday night.