Sixers Go Through the Motions in Loss to Hawks

The Sixers must have really been dreaming the impossible dream because after being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs over the weekend, fans have seen a different team out on the court.  During the past two games against Brooklyn and now, Atlanta, Philadelphia has put forth some of the least-enthused professional basketball performances you’ll ever come across.  For the second straight game, the majority of the opponent’s starters were out of the game after three quarters, as Atlanta breezed to a 124-101 victory.  Although the Sixers weren’t pummeled on the boards again last night, there was visible lack of defensive intensity that allowed the Hawks to get wherever they wanted to on the floor.  Atlanta scored at least 29 points in every quarter as their 124 points were their most in a non-overtime game this season.

The assists told the story as the Hawks held a 34-21 edge, working the ball around against a Sixers defense disinterested in making the proper rotations.  Josh Smith set the tone early with 11 points and 6 boards in the first quarter, on his way to 28 and 11 in just 29 minutes of action.  Once again this season, Jeff Teague greatly outplayed Sixers all-star Jrue Holiday, recording a double-double with 13 points and 11 assists in 31 minutes.  Even a pair of rookies off the bench were able to score at will, as John Jenkins and Mike Scott tallied 21 and 17 points, respectively.

The lone bright spot for the Sixers was a rejuvenated Thad Young, who bounced back from a poor performance in Brooklyn to score 28 points on 14-20 shooting.  His usual energy stood in stark contrast to his teammates displayed even less fight than usual.  Nick Young also shot the ball well, draining 3 of 5 threes on his way to 19 points off the bench, though most of his points came when the game was already decided.  Holiday shot just 4-14, including going 1 for his first 10, for 12 points, and only recorded a single assist compared to five turnovers.  90% of the team looked like it wanted nothing more than the season to be over with, and if this is the level of effort in store going forward, fans feel the same way.