Sixers Clinch Playoff Birth, Dominate the Atlanta Hawks 127-83

The Philadelphia 76ers obliterated the Atlanta Hawks last night with a final score of 127-83. They were in command all night, holding a constant 15-20 point lead throughout the whole game. With the win the Sixers also secured a playoff birth, making them the third team in the NBA with a guaranteed spot in the postseason. With ten games remaining on the schedule, the Sixers are now 41-21, trailing the Brooklyn Nets by only one game in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers came out firing on all cylinders tonight, with all five starters playing together for the first time in seven games. Ben Simmons was dominating early, dishing passes through his legs and getting big baskets at the rim. Seth Curry started out 5/7 from the field, 3/4 from three, and had 13 points in the first ten minutes, one point short of his total game average. The team ended the first quarter with a demanding 37-17 lead.

Doc brought out an all bench unit to start the second quarter, and they didn’t disappoint. The ball movement of the second unit tonight was fantastic, finding the open guy and capitalizing on the Hawks mistakes. The bench guys were playing out of their shoes in the second quarter, with Tyrese Maxey throwing down a baseline slam, and Dwight Howard committing homicide on live television. George Hill is starting to really find his role with the team, hitting contested corner threes, and being a great court manager. Sixers would head into halftime with a 28 point lead, 67-39.

Halftime Stats:	PTS	REB	AST	FG
Ben Simmons	6	2	4	3/4
Joel Embiid	15	7	–	7/12
Seth Curry	15	2	–	6/10
Tobias Harris	8	4	5 AST	3/8

The gas pedal was taped to the floor tonight, as the team opened up the third quarter gaining a 30 point lead. Every single Sixers player was in the positive in the plus minus halfway through the third quarter. The Sixers would close out the game with no problem, with the starters getting twelve minutes of much needed rest. Matisse Thybulle would finish a beautiful assist from Shake Milton late in the fourth quarter, and attempt to high five him after. Kris Dunn gave Matisse Thybulle a shove, and a scrum broke out. Let me tell you, watching Matisse jaw at somebody and drop an f bomb may have been the highlight of the season, however, Kris Dunn needs to get a grip.

The Sixers beat the Atlanta Hawks tonight by a final score of 127-83. The team now sits one game back in the East, with 10 games to play. Dominant basketball from the whole team struck Wells Fargo Center tonight, never trailing once in the full 48 minutes. The Sixers will be back in action on Friday, taking on the same Atlanta Hawks team.

Final Stats:	PTS	REB	FG	3PT FG
Seth Curry	20	3	8/12	4/7
Joel Embiid	17	7	7/16	1/3
Tyrese Maxey	11	1	5/6	1/2
Shake Milton	12	6	3/8	0/1

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images