The Philadelphia 76ers (7-3, 2-2 away) take on the Atlanta Hawks (4-5, 1-3 home) in an Eastern Conference tilt on Monday night. Monday’s matchup marks the first and only meeting between the two squads this season. Tipoff is at 7:30 P.M. Eastern inside State Farm Arena in Atlanta.
Atlanta is a seven-point favorite over the short-handed Sixers, according to oddsmakers.
What to Know – Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia dropped their second game in a row on Saturday in a 115-103 loss at home to the Denver Nuggets. The 76ers were playing severely short-handed, with only seven players healthy due to injuries, a positive COVID-19 case, and four others sidelined due to contact tracing. Philly will remain without eight players for the game against the Hawks.
Seth Curry (17.0 points per game), who tested positive for the virus during last Thursday’s game, remained sidelined and in self-isolation. Tobias Harris (19.0 points per game), Shake Milton (14.1 points per game), Matisse Thybulle, and Vincent Poirer also remained out for contact tracing. Curry, Harris, and Milton are three of the top four scorers for Philadelphia.
The Sixers enter Monday’s game riding a two-game losing streak after starting the season winning seven of their first eight contests. Philadelphia averages 113.0 points and surrenders 108.5 points per game.
Philadelphia is 6-4 against the spread through their first ten contests, while in six of those games, the total has gone under.
What to Know – Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta carries a four-game losing skid into the new week after a sizzle 4-1 start to their 2020-2021 season. The Hawks suffered home-and-home losses to the Charlotte Hornets in their last two outings, falling in both by eight points. If the losses weren’t bad enough, reserve guard Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered a fractured knee in Saturday’s loss and will be out indefinitely for Atlanta.
Unlike the visiting Sixers, the Hawks have a healthy lineup to face Philly. The young Hawks are led in scoring by 22-year old Trae Young (24.7 ppg), 23-year old John Collins (17.2 ppg), and 23-year old De’Andre Hunter (16.4 ppg). In the two recent losses to the Hornets, Young scored a total of 18 points in the contests, shooting only 25-percent (7-for-28) from the floor.
Atlanta averages 114.1 points per game while allowing opponents to score at 111.2 points per game clip. The Hawks shoot 44.4-percent from the floor and 35.4-percent from the 3-point line.
Through Atlanta’s first nine games, the Hawks are 4-5 against the spread, and seven of their nine contest totals have gone under.
The Pick is In
With the absence of a handful of players, including two starters, the Sixers will have difficulty keeping up with the Hawks. Atlanta has dropped four in a row and will be hungry to get back into the win column at home. The lack of available bodies will hurt Philadelphia down the stretch in this one, as three players played more than 40 minutes in Saturday’s loss to Denver.
Philadelphia might keep this one close for the first half, but the motivated Hawks will pull away against a thin Sixer lineup and win comfortably.
The Pick: Atlanta Hawks (-7)
