Philadelphia 76ers vs Atlanta Hawks Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 08/02/2024, 19:02  by Joseph King | Modified on 08/02/2024 at 19:02 in NBA Predictions

An Eastern Conference clash in the NBA sees the free-falling fifth-place Philadelphia 76ers looking to put the pieces back together when they host the 10th-placed Atlanta Hawks. It’s been a devastating run for Philadelphia who lost the then leading-MVP candidate Joel Embiid to a season-ending injury just over one week ago. They were able to bounce back with a win in their first game since the injury but have since gone on to drop the next three in a row. The Sixers’ most recent outing resulted in a 127-104 home defeat to the Warriors, marking the team’s seventh loss in their last eight games overall. While Embiid’s 35.7 points per game will certainly be missed on the offensive end, his absence on the defensive side has also been painfully apparent. Philly are allowing 113.7 points per game (13th in the NBA) but have given up 127.0 in their last three (fourth-highest in the NBA).

Atlanta come into this contest looking to put an end to a losing streak of their own. The Hawks suffered back-to-back defeats to the Clippers and the Celtics, the latter of which finished 125-117 away from home on Wednesday. It was an admittedly extremely difficult pair of games for the Hawks as they faced off against arguably the two best teams in the NBA at the moment. Atlanta were previously on a four-game winning streak and will be aiming a return to winning ways against a hobbled Sixers squad. The visitors 22-29 record has them currently holding on to the final play-in tournament spot, with a 1.5 games lead over the 11th-placed Nets and a two-game deficit on the ninth-place Bulls. Atlanta has been playing a number of incredibly high-scoring games as of late, with their last eight games seeing an average of 263.4 points scored.