Hawks vs 76ers Game 5 | NBA Betting Analysis

The Eastern Conference NBA semifinal series between the Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers is tied at 2-2 as it shifts back to the City of Brotherly Love on Wednesday night. The Sixers are solid favorites on the NBA odds even though star Joel Embiid is clearly not 100 percent healthy.

How to Bet Hawks at 76ers NBA Odds & TV Info

When: Wednesday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Wells Fargo Center
TV: TNT
Stream: TNT app
Radio:com

Why Bet on Atlanta?

The Hawks took Game 4 on Monday on the Sixers 103-100 – rallying from an 18-point first-half deficit. It was the Hawks’ first win after trailing by 18 or more points in a playoff game over the last 25 seasons. They had been 0-41.

Star Trae Young had 25 points, a career-high 18 assists and four rebounds. He also made two clutch free throws to seal the win in the fourth quarter. With 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining in the first quarter, Young drew a foul on Sixers center Joel Embiid but slammed his shoulder into him in the process. Young, an 88.6% free throw shooter in the regular season and 92.1% in the playoffs entering Monday, missed both free throws. They were the only free throws Young ended up missing, though.

“It wasn’t bothering me,” Young said of his shoulder. “It was just fighting through it. Knowing it was kind of sore, I was trying to work it out and keep it warm throughout the game. I’m not blaming my shooting on my arm. I feel like I had a lot of good looks. The shots just weren’t going in. I gotta be better at knocking down my shots.”

The point guard became the first player to record at least 25 points and 18 assists in a playoff game since Tim Hardaway in 1991, and he’s also the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 18 dimes in a playoff game. The previous youngest was Spud Webb for the Hawks in April 1986.

Finally, Young became the first Hawks player with at least 15 points and 15 assists in a playoff game since current 76ers coach Doc Rivers had 16 points and 18 assists in May 1988. Young has now scored at least 20 points in every one of his nine playoff contests to date.

John Collins had 14 points and 12 rebounds. Collins might have needed 15 shots just to reach the 14-point threshold, but he still supplied value with his first double-double of the current postseason run. He’s averaging 14.1 points per game in the playoffs. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 22 points.

Nate McMillan inserted Kevin Huerter into the starting lineup for Solomon Hill in Monday’s Game 4 and Huerter chipped in 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the floor with four rebounds and two assists in 35 minutes.

After combining to shoot 32% from three (17-of-53) in Games 2 and 3, the hawks needed a boost shooting-wise. In three starts this series, Solomon Hill tallied a total of 7 points on 2-of-11 shooting (2-of-10 3-pointers). Hill didn’t even play in Game 4.

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

Joel Embiid acknowledged that his ailing right knee significantly limited his effectiveness in Monday’s Game 4 loss to the Hawks. Embiid grabbed 21 rebounds but had just 17 points and was 0-for-12 in the second half, accounting for the most attempts without a make in a playoff game in the past 25 years. He missed a layup with 8.8 seconds left that would have put the Sixers ahead by a point. In the first three games against the Hawks, Embiid averaged 35.3 points.

“Great look. Great look. I just didn’t have the lift,” said Embiid, who has played this Eastern Conference semifinal series on a partially torn meniscus in his right knee. “Thought I got fouled too. But usually, I would go up, especially for a bucket like that, try to dunk it. Try to get fouled and get an and-1. But … not being able to jump for obvious reasons. … It’s tough.”

Expect Embiid to try and come out with a more aggressive mindset in Game 5. Tobias Harris had 20 points and five rebounds. He has scored at least 20 points in seven straight contests and is firmly entrenched as the Sixers’ second-best scoring threat behind Embiid. Ben Simmons flirted with a triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists in 36 minutes.

Furkan Korkmaz drew the start for the injured Danny Green (out for series) and scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting (2-of-5 3-pointers) with two rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one turnover.

“I don’t think there’s any better motivation than starting the game, because you know you need to set the tone with the starters and you need to be good,” Korkmaz said.

Korkmaz and the Sixers did start the game well, as they led by as much as 10 in the first quarter. The Sixers took a 13-point lead into the break, 62-49, fueled by 52.1% shooting (25-48 fg) from the field and 63.6% shooting from deep (7-11 3fg) in the first half. But third quarter shooting struggles (38.1% fg) made way for the Hawks to erase most of their deficit in the third frame. Even in the loss, the Sixers held the Hawks to shoot 36.6% overall (37-101 fg) and 30.0% from deep (12-40 3fg).