By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)
The Sixers were excruciatingly close to silencing all the doubters Saturday night. Despite the team having a reasonable amount of success after an 0-17 start, there are still the naysayers who find the team and the entire process distasteful. Sure, you can beat the Pistons and Timberwolves of the world, they might say. But a win against a Hawks team that had won 18-straight entering the game? That would make them sit up and take notice. With three minutes left in the game, after the Sixers had rallied all the way back from a 21-point deficit to take an 83-81 lead, it looked like that would be exactly the case. The Sixers would be one of the SportsCenter headlines for a good reason for a change.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of reasons the Hawks have found their way to the best record in the NBA, and one of them is the quietly effective play of All-Star Al Horford. Nothing was quiet about his game against the Sixers though. Not only did Horford record game-highs across the board of 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks, but when his team found itself down those 2 points in the final minutes, he took over. The former Florida Gator was involved in the next 8 points for the Hawks, scoring 5 himself and assisting on a Dennis Schroder three-pointer. It was an encapsulation of everything Horford brings to the table offensively: a strong post-up game, a silky mid-range jumper, and smart passing ability. The Sixers weren’t able to keep pace and Atlanta stretched the streak to 19, while the Sixers’ ended at 2.
Still, despite the loss, there was plenty to be excited about as a Sixers fan. The team came out listless after traveling on the road for the second night of a back-to-back; they scored just 10 points in the first quarter and when Atlanta extended their advantage to 21 in the second, it looked like it was just going to be one of those nights when the casual fan can flip the game off in the second half. However, the team came alive in an unexpected fashion: the long ball. Philadelphia shot 14-35 from three, their highest total of made triples on the season. Coach Brett Brown clearly opted for the David Strategy, where the underdog plays a high-risk, high-reward game to try to bypass the favored side. Thanks to two players in particular, the gambit almost paid off.
The first has been doing this for some time now, as Jerami Grant didn’t miss a single shot Saturday night in tying the team-high with 13 points, going 4-4 from the field, including 3-3 from three, and 2-2 from the foul line. He’s now 18-34 (53%) from three over his past 14 games, as his ceiling continues to rise as high as Grant himself did on his only field goal attempt from inside the arc last night:
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The other big contributor has been MIA this season, but Hollis Thompson broke out of his slump in a big way against Atlanta, hitting 4 of 6 threes. After leading all rookies in three-point field goal percentage a season ago, Thompson has experienced the classic sophomore slump, shooting just 33.1% from behind the arc this year. The team re-working his shot to obtain a quicker release, plus Thompson’s prolonged illness, have certainly been factors in his off-year. Hopefully, his big game Saturday is a sign of better things to come from the former Georgetown Hoya.
The Sixers went toe-to-toe with the NBA’s best and nearly came out on top. I know moral victories don’t count in the standings, but given how far this group as come in the last couple months, it might as well have. The team will be back in action Monday night in Cleveland.
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