Can Atlanta keep the wins coming to stay in a wide-open Eastern Conference playoff race? They finally ended the suffering of a seven-game losing skid by toppling Phoenix 95-91 the last time out. The Hawks will begin another road trek that starts in Philadelphia, a team that has been out of the playoff race for a while but is finally making strides to become a better squad in the upcoming years. The 76ers have won four of their last seven games. Tipoff is set for 7:00 PM Eastern time and it will be broadcast on FSN Southeast and CSN Philadelphia.
Hawks (38-36, 2nd Southeast)
Atlanta had quite the struggle throughout most of March and nearly fell to a .500 record after looking like they would easily make the postseason. They now find themselves just two games ahead of the elimination line, and they'll have to figure things out quickly to save themselves from the chopping block. Some of those losses were key defeats to Charlotte and Milwaukee who are looking to get into the postseason, and the lowly Brooklyn Nets.
Injuries have played a role in the Hawks' struggles. Small forward Kent Bazemore (11 ppg) will likely be back for this contest after dealing with a knee injury. He's been out for the past five games. Prior to the injury, he was averaging 14.5 points in his last four games.
Power forward Paul Millsap (18.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg) remains out also with a knee injury. He hasn't played in the past six games.
76ers (28-46, 3rd Atlantic)
Philadelphia has certainly been playing well in the second half of March. They nearly knocked off Golden State 106-104 and have since gone 4-3 overall. Those victories include a monstrous beatdown of Dallas, edging Boston, and Chicago.
After taking on the Hawks, they'll begin a rough road trip with visits to Cleveland and Toronto.
Shooting guard Gerald Henderson (9.6 ppg) is questionable with a hip injury. He sat out of the prior contest after getting five points against Indiana. Center Jahlil Okafor (11.8 ppg, 4.8 rpg) will likely remain out with his ongoing right knee issues.
He played in limited action earlier in March but hasn't appeared in the last three games.
The Hawks have won six straight meetings against them. They are favored by just 1.5 points and the total O/U is set at 210.5 points. The 76ers are 15-2 against the spread in their last 17 home games.
