Atlanta Hawks: Sixers 98, Hawks 87

No doubt the Hawks’ vulnerability in the middle was on display again (especially since the perimeter D was shaky, too). Spencer Hawes found the perfect opponent for his return from an Achilles injury, Nicola Vucevic and Thaddeus Young got theirs and Philly’s guards found lots of space in which to operate once they made it past the first level–all they had to do was account for Josh Smith from there. But if the Hawks had taken care of the ball and taken better shots (or made more open ones) they still would have had a chance to beat a quality opponent in spite of all of that. Instead, they got sloppy with the ball and loose with their shot selection in the second quarter and the Sixers were off and running to 37 points. The Hawks, meanwhile, spent a lot of time in Iso and looking to officials for help. “Against physical teams, we have a tendency to allow that to affect us,” Larry Drew said. “We have to move past that. We are a veteran team now....