Philadelphia 76ers defeat Atlanta Hawks 105-100
The Philadelphia 76ers, who ended their road trip with a disappointing loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, bounced back with an impressive 105-100 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Centre on Wednesday night.
Seven Philadelphia players scored in double-figures. Louis Williams came off the bench with a team-high 17 points, three assists and two rebounds for the Sixers.
Forward-guard Andre Iguodala and forward Thaddeus Young had 16 points each for the 76ers, who have won six of their last 10 games. Jodie Meeks also chipped in with 15 points while Elton Brand played an effective game with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the
victory.
Atlanta played the game with just seven players. Josh Smith did all he could and finished with a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds in the defeat. Marvin Williams and Kirk Hinrich added 16 points apiece for the Hawks, who lost their second consecutive game.
Joe Johnson was not up to the mark this time as he ended with 13 points, four assists and two rebounds in the losing effort. Jamal Crawford registered 10 points, four assists and three rebounds for Atlanta, who have lost four of their last 10 contests.
Match Analysis
The Sixers walked onto the basketball court, played quality shots and clogged the middle of the court to win their 37th game of the 2010-11 season.
Both teams stayed close in the first six minutes of the opening quarter. However, Philadelphia held the Hawks to a 12-5 rebounding margin during the quarter. The Sixers took a 30-28 lead into the second courtesy nine points from Jrue Holiday.
Atlanta came out strongly in the second as they went on a 9-0 run midway through the quarter to take a 49-42 lead for good. Andre Iguodala paced the Hawks with 10 points in the quarter as Atlanta took a 59-53 advantage into the locker room.
The Hawks and Sixers played the third quarter at crisp pace, scoring 21 possessions each. However, Atlanta held an 80-74 lead, heading into the final stanza.
Williams said that although Philadelphia did not play well in the first three quarters, they got their shooting-touch back in the fourth. He said, "We just got a lot more active. The first three quarters, we were stuck in mud. Guys got in their rhythm in
the fourth."
Trailing by six points after three quarters, the Sixers made a great comeback in the fourth, as they went on an 11-0 run to take an 85-80 lead in the 10th minute.
The Hawks bench tried to spark a comeback in the closing minute with three-pointers by Smith and Crawford, but the 76ers answered with a pair of free throws by Iguodala to seal their 37th victory of the season.
Philadelphia coach Doug Collins declared the result as one of his side’s best victories of the 2010-11 season. He said, "That was one of the most gratifying wins of the season."
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