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The Atlanta Hawks have had their best season in years and they can surprisingly advance to the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday night at home with a Game 6 upset of the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who are short favorites on the NBA odds.

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

When: Friday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: State Farm Arena
TV: ESPN
Stream: ESPN app
Radio:com

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

There’s no other way to say this: The 76ers choked away Game 5 against the Hawks on Wednesday, blowing a 26-point lead with about nine minutes left in the yet lost 109-106 – in the previous game, the Sixers blew an 18-point lead and lost 103-100 in Atlanta.

Philadelphia became the only team to lose back-to-back 18-point leads in playoff games in the past 25 seasons. The 76ers were 165-0 in the past 25 seasons when leading by at least 25 points at any point in the game (regular season or playoffs). At one point Wednesday, Philadelphia had a win probability percentage of 99.7 (the highest it got in Game 4 was 95.5%).

In Game 5, Joel Embiid was fabulous in hitting 12-for-20 from the field and 11-from-13 from the free-throw line 37 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, two steals and four blocks.

However, Embiid limped to the finish line, going just 1-for-5 in a quiet fourth quarter, missing his final four shots from the field. Trailing by three points with just 10.9 seconds left, Philadelphia had one last chance to possibly avoid the collapse with Embiid at the free-throw line. Yet the 86-percent free throw shooter who had made 20 in a row promptly missed both, sealing the 76ers’ fate.

Seth Curry hit 13-of-19 shots and seven 3-pointers for a playoff career-high 36 points along with seven rebounds in a losing effort. Curry ended one point shy of tying his career-best scoring output and was one of the Sixers’ best players on a night where two of their biggest offensive weapons, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, combined for only 12 points while going 4-for-15 from the field.

Simmons was just 2-for-4 from the field and 4-for-14 from the free throw line for eight points. Before the All-Star break, Simmons shot 67.1% from the foul line, and then after the break, he shot just 53.3% from the line. He then followed that up by shooting 35.7% from the line in Round 1 against the Wizards and he is now 12-for-39 from the line in this series.

Simmons’ dreadful free throw shooting is going to make Coach Doc Rivers think twice about having him in close games late going forward. Expect the Hawks to be fouling Simmons whenever appropriate in Friday’s Game 6.

Why Bet on Atlanta?

The 22-point halftime deficit the Hawks overcame in Game 5 was the third-largest halftime rally in NBA postseason history. Atlanta trailed by 24 with 2:10 left in the third quarter, but a quick 8-2 run set the tone for the big fourth quarter that followed. In the final quarter, Atlanta outscored Philadelphia 40-19.

The catalyst was reserve guard Lou Williams, who entered Wednesday averaging just seven points in 11.9 minutes per game. Nate McMillan couldn’t take him off the floor in Game 6, however, as Williams was instrumental in the Hawks’ comeback. Entering the fourth quarter, the Hawks were down by 18, but Williams 13 points in just over four minutes, and at one point scored 11 straight points for the Hawks. He finished the night with 15 points on 7-of-11 from the field, and the team was plus-31 when he was on the court. Williams probably earned more minutes and a bigger role in Friday’s game in his hometown of Atlanta.

Trae Young hit 10-of-23 shots and 17-of-19 free throws for 39 points along with seven assists in the stunning victory. The Hawks went on a 15-0 run to close out the game until Seth Curry hit a meaningless jumper at the buzzer to stop the Hawks’ scoring streak. Young has scored at least 30 points just twice in the current series, but has four games with at least 25 points and three double-doubles.

John Collins had 19 points and 11 rebounds – Collins posted a second straight double-double in the series and has scored at least 19 points in three of his five appearances against the Sixers, as the big man has settled in as the Hawks’ second-best scoring alternative behind Young.

Danilo Gallinari recorded 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Gallinari was one of four Atlanta players that scored at least 15 points, and the veteran forward has now surpassed that mark in three of his five appearances in the series.

It’s possible that forward Cam Reddish could play in Game 6. He hasn’t played since late February but has been medically cleared by the Hawks’ training staff. GM Travis Schlenk clarified that the final hurdle is conditioning. “Cam has been out two-and-a-half or three months now,” Schlenk said.

Game Trends

76ers are 11-5-1 ATS in their last 17 games as a road favorite.
76ers are 5-11-1 ATS in their last 17 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.
Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win.
Hawks are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog.
Hawks are 20-6 ATS in their last 26 home games.
76ers are 1-7 ATS in the last 8 meetings in Atlanta.