Peachtree Hoops: Hawks drop preseason finale to 76ers, 120-106

[Hawksquawk]

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Hawks visited the Philadelphia 76ers in each team’s preseason finale.

Both teams started somewhat slow, but they picked up the energy later in the first quarter. The Hawks cashed in on some transition buckets early, and later that pace helped the team find open space for threes.

Saddiq Bey continued his strong play from all three levels:

Saddiq outside, Saddiq inside pic.twitter.com/qjpS6Kij9P

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 20, 2023

De’Andre Hunter had another strong start to play in his abbreviated preseason as well:

Agent 12 being aggressive early pic.twitter.com/uO5FR1wCtW

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 20, 2023

After one quarter, the Hawks led the Sixers 25-24.

The Hawks really turned it on at the beginning of the second quarter with a 14-1 run to begin the period. The aggressive trapping defense gave Philadelphia’s bench fits and sprung Atlanta out for numerous transition opportunities.

Trae Young has continued to add layers to his off ball game, like on this “get” out of bounds possession and impressive dish to Capela on the roll:

Showtime!

Again! pic.twitter.com/kKnxWdhsDJ

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 21, 2023

After one half, Atlanta led Philadelphia 61-49, marking the fourth time in five preseason games they sported a lead of nine or more at halftime. Trae Young led the way with 15 points and six assists. Saddiq Bey was a perfect 3-for-3 from the floor leading to a 10-point half. The offensive rebounding was most impressive in my eyes, with Atlanta securing 7 offensive boards on 24 chances (29% OREB%) leading to 12 second chance points.

Philadelphia made a strong run leading off the second half spearheaded by the hot De’Anthony Melton. A 21-3 run at one point gave the Sixers the lead in under six minutes flat. From there, it was a back and forth affair as neither team could push to a commanding lead. The third quarter ended with the Hawks holding onto a slim 91-87 lead.

By early in the fourth quarter, the fouls had added up for Jalen Johnson, and he was forced to exit the game with six personal fouls in just 17 minutes of playtime. Eventually, the probable rotation players were pulled and the exhibition began in earnest. And in response, Philadelphia put together a late 14-5 run to take control of the game.

Atlanta’s end of the bench players failed to make much of an impact, and the Hawks faded to a 120-106 loss. Trae Young netted a double-double in the game with 19 points and 10 assists. Onyeka Okongwu came on strong in the second half, and he finished with 14 points, seven rebounds and two assists to go along with two made threes. Philadelphia’s De’Anthony Melton finished as the high man in scoring with 29 points in just 25 minutes of play.

With the loss, the Hawks finished at 3-2 in preseason play with both losses coming on the road. Atlanta will next travel to Charlotte to take on the Hornets on October 25th in their regular season debut.

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