Atlanta Hawks down Philadelphia 76ers in a tight contest
Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew didn't have to wait for his first win as a head coach, and he got his second in as many nights, as Atlanta Hawks edged past a spirited Philadelphia 76ers team to go 2-0 in the season. In a game which
went right down to the wire, the Hawks held their nerves to sustain a late charge from Philadelphia who were playing to avoid a 0-2 start to the season.
Atlanta Hawks, who thumped the Memphis Grizzlies in their season opener by 15 points, were made to work really hard for their win. At no stage in the match did the 76ers provide them enough room to run away with the game. The match
started with the 76ers starting on a positive note, racing to a 11-2 lead within the first three minutes, but the Hawks struck back immediately with a 10-0 run in the next three to snatch the lead back. They never let the 76ers dictate the terms from there
on in. The first quarter finished with the Hawks leading by 3 points and they maintained their tempo going into the second quarter as well.
The Hawks gradually tightened their grip on the match and went into the locker room with a 10 point lead at 62-52. The 76ers were outscored 29-22 in that quarter which made all the difference in the end. The third quarter started
with Mike Bibby making a three-pointer to extend the lead for the Hawks, but the 76ers maintained parity by matching the Hawks step by step in that period. Both the teams took the match into the fourth quarter separated by the same margin of 10 points.
The fourth quarter started with the 76ers trying to up their momentum as desperation started to creep in their camp. Andres Nocioni, who was in great form throughout the match, made a three-point shot to reduce the deficit to 6
points with seven and a half minutes to go. He made a putback dunk shot going into the last minute to make it a two point game. The match seemed to be turning tides at that juncture but Josh Smith, perhaps the most athletic Atlanta player, stepped up to occasion.
He not only made a three-pointer with an assist from Horford but also climbed high to deflect a three-pointer to level the match right in the dying seconds from Nocioni.
Philadelphia put up a great fight in the second half but the Atlanta team hung on to a three point victory in the end. Four players from each team went into the double figures in an exciting showdown. Joe Johnson led the way for
the Hawks with 22 points, while Al Horford played a crucial hand with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists. Jamal Crawford scored 19 points and Josh Smith also netted 12 points with 9 rebounds. Zaza Pachulia, the Atlanta centre, who had a fantastic game against
the Grizzlies, only featured for 14 minutes in this match and finished with 7 points and 7 rebounds.
76ers duo of Andre Iguodala and Elton Brands had a fantastic game as well. Iguodala came up with 27 points, 10 assists and 6 blocks while Brand shot in 20 points. Evan Turner, who netted 16 points against the Heats in their first
match, was virtually a non factor in this one and could not score a single point. Philadelphia had more shots, but suffered because of a poor conversion rate of 41.2% as compared to a solid 51.4% for Hawks.
The 76ers have had two close games against two very good teams but failed to cross the line on each occasion. The defeat against the Hawks would be very disappointing as they rallied back to give themselves a realistic chance of
winning. Post match, Brands refused to feel good about the last two close matches. "No, no, no," the Philadelphia forward said. "You can't be happy and take positives away from losses. Especially there, we could have won." As for the new 76ers’ coach, Doug
Collins, he will have to wait longer for his first win at the franchise. He has to quickly sort out the right combination to start off with the game as his tactics have proved futile so far.
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